


Constellation lost

by MysShadowDragon



Series: Constellations - SW/SU Crossover [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: But all minor, Fluff and Humor, Gen, It's also smack dab in the middle of the clone wars, Steven POV, Steven's 15, Stevens gotten himself stuck in space again, Takes place in between Diamond Days and SU: Movie, Time Skips, crack politics, lots of other appearances, seriously though kid this keeps happening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:27:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21845920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysShadowDragon/pseuds/MysShadowDragon
Summary: A day floating in space had given him time to develop the embarrassment that he should have thought about before he’d gone through with the stupid plan he and Amethyst had concocted.“We thought, geez… We thought it might be funny if I got into the cannons and she fired them straight up.” Steven mumbled the last bit into his chest. Anakin snorted hard and quickly covered his smile with his hand when Obi-wan sent an exhausted glare at him."Why does this sound familiar Anakin?" Obi-wan asked putting his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "We'll get you home on one condition. We speak to the planetary leaders."
Series: Constellations - SW/SU Crossover [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1582654
Comments: 82
Kudos: 286





	1. Puppis - The Stern Of The Argo Navis

This wasn’t the first time that he’d ended up lost in space, but he should have been found or picked up by now. After something or other had launched him into the stratosphere, the Gems were quick to get him. Amethyst had even started to make a game of seeing how far she could toss Steven with the pure centrifugal force of spinning him with her whip. This time though he’d been out in deep space for what had to have been close to a full day. At least he’d gotten close to a full nights sleep with how restless he was in his cramped bubble.

Maybe it was a good thing that he’d been making a habit of ending up floating in space like some common asteroid because otherwise his tolerance and skill at keeping himself alive wouldn’t be where it was.

Even with the training though he could admit he was getting past uncomfortable. His body could only take so much and space was the coldest mistress as Pearl liked to call it—her.

There was an unfamiliar ship though, a body based more like a one legged one winged bird thing. Nothing like the body part Gem ships or angular cuts that made up the sun incinerator. Not that it mattered much to Steven.

The ship had the lights on which meant power and warmth. There wasn’t a window facing him though which was a problem. They were also drifting further away from him.

This called for emergency procedures.

Steven couldn’t help but chuckle a little at just the whole situation as he stood up; readying himself for his literal song and dance that he’d stumbled on once while on stage. With the right mental focus he could create mini explosions of sparkles and pink lights. 

Amethyst had seen it and then forced him to do his dance everywhere. Pearl had seen it then and turned it into an emergency flare signal killing Amethyst’s ability to goad him into tapping a beat into the ground at every opportunity. Steven wasn’t too sad about that.

He forced his bubble into a larger size, the strain taking its toll in the shuddering of his teeth, but he was up and standing. One foot forward, one hand on his face the other high in the air behind him. 

_“ We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind_  
Cause your friends don’t dance and if they don’t dance  
Well they are no friends of mine!” 

Steven moved to the rhythm, with each beat he tapped the edges of his bubble with the tips of his fingers and even with his eyes closed in concentration he could as feel the fireworks exploded outside. As it sucked at his remaining reserves and each consecutive blast felt like a kick to the shins.

He only got about halfway through the song before he dropped to his knees panting and worrying that he’d sapped too much power that he couldn’t maintain basic life-sustaining parts of his bubble. Mainly air. He couldn’t breathe.

His eyes fluttering open, he struggled to look up through the dizziness and the pink sheen to see the ship; or more accurately into the ship’s main windshield. The blurry shape of someone at the helm was only so reassuring. They had to help right?

The knock on his bubble startled him into opening his eyes again. 

When had he closed them?

He gasped at the man who was clinging to the leg of some sort of robot and waving at him frantically. Steven wilted a little and waved back with a slow smile.

“What’s going on here kid?” The man seemed to shout it, but Steven still had to strain to hear it.

“Uh, I’m stuck.” Steven said only to have to repeat it louder. The man’s eyebrows shot up as he looked around the empty void around them and nodded his head a little. Steven knew it was a ridiculous situation, but he didn’t have to look so incredulous about it all. 

The man used his free hand to sign something quickly to the robot, the top ( _the head?_ ) spun back and forth and lit up a bit before it flew closer and from its front a small suction cup popped out and stuck to the side of the bubble. Steven was nearly boneless in relief as the little robot put on the burners and pulled both him and the man back towards the open ship.

Once they flew through the maw of the ship, the robot seemed to fall straight to the ground even when Steven was still floating in zero gravity. The man had already let go of the robot before they’d hit the entrance and was orienting himself feet down. 

The shadow of the doors closing was all the warning Steven got as artificial gravity took over and he bounced to the floor. Or more like his bubble bounced and he just pin balled for a moment until he rolled to a stop; A crunched groaning heap at the bottom of the bubble.

He untangled himself and stood up brushing his clothes and hair down as he went. His hips were so sore now. 

“Hey,” A knock startled Steven again as he looked up at the man tapping at his bubble above him. Stars, he was tall. Not Garnet sized, but he seemed human ( _and wasn’t that confusing_ ) so still super tall. 

“Hi,” Steven squeaked out. How’d he get picked up by space faring Humans? Unless some escaped from the zoo, pioneered a ship and learned how to pilot.

“Is he alright?” A new face dropped from a ladder further in the ship. Older and more ginger than the guy in front of him.

“I don’t know I was just about to ask, I don’t know what kind of escape pod this is-“ The man rapped his knuckles again on the outside of his bubble. “but hopefully we can get him out of there.”

He should drop his bubble, but a little caution couldn’t hurt right? As long as he can maintain it for long enough that is.

“Thanks for saving me and all, but who’re you guys?”

The first guy pointed a thumb at himself, “Im Anakin, that over there is my former Master, Obi-wan Kenobi.”

Steven nodded at both, “Steven Universe,” he stuck his hand out on reflex only to watch Anakin’s face crumple into disguised amusement. Obi-wan seemed to hide it much better.

Steven scrunched his nose, who needed caution? They saved him didn’t they?

Without even a wave of his hand or anything he let go of his bubble and it was truly a breath of fresh air. It popped with a few puttering sparkles and Steven stepped closer to offer his hand.

Anakin went from hiding his humour into a barked laugh and grabbed Steven’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “Okay Steven, welcome to the Twilight.”

“Thanks!” Steven beamed and Obi-wan in the corner rose an eyebrow and quirked his lip for a second before stepping forward from the practical shadows.

“Sorry to burst your bubble you two,” he started and Anakin threw a sharp hiss at Obi-wan for the poor joke. “But I do have to ask how you came to be out there.”

Steven took a deep breath and with his sore body and jelly legs flopped to the ground, sitting on his ankles. “Uh, it’s kind of embarrassing. Normally somebody finds me and brings me back pretty quickly but we might have gotten carried away.”

“This happens a lot?” Anakin asked at the same time that Obi-wan asked how they had gotten carried away.

He shied away from answering the cold truth. A day floating in space had given him time to develop the embarrassment that he should have thought about before he’d gone through with the stupid plan.

“Yeah, Amethyst thinks it’s funny to see where I land when she tosses me.” Steven saw the cross between anger and confusion and hurried to correct the broken image. “Normally it’s pretty fun, get to see some of the planet and it’s a good way to test things but uh…” He trailed off.

“You somehow landed in empty space with nobody noticing you missing?” Obi-wan coached and Steven sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck.

“We thought, geez… We thought it might be funny if I got into the cannons and she fired them straight up.” Steven mumbled the last bit into his chest. Anakin snorted hard and quickly covered his smile with his hand when Obi-wan sent an exhausted glare at him.

“Alright so that covers the how, and why I suppose. Now tell me, what did you use to survive space like you did. I’ve never seen something quite like that in all my time.” Obi-wan took a quick circle around Steven. His hand rubbing at his beard while he inspected the empty air.

“Oh well… that was just my bubble.” Steven started a little slow. His fingers brushing at his pants. 

Obi-wan nodded and stepped to stand beside Anakin his hands tucked into his sleeves like some ancient wizard. “Aptly named I suppose, what do you think Anakin?”

Anakin chuckled, “I would say I’d love to see whatever kind of tech that is. A personal collapsable escape pod? That would save so many lives if the clones could have one.” Steven started to cringe in on himself as they mused to themselves. His bubble was his. He opened his mouth to correct their ideas only for Anakin to steam roll over him. “I want to know though which system has been developing it. The Republic should have known about this far before. The military applications are endless!” Anakin almost sounded chastising, like Steven should have been telling who ever the Republic was.

What bothered Steven though was the military comment. It’s not like they could even take or use his bubble. It wasn’t technology it was a part of him, but the idea that it could be weaponized on mass for war stung.

“I agree, tech like that should have been brought to the Republic at the first notion of it working.” Obi-wan nodded and Steven scrunched his nose further. “What system are you from so we can bring you back and have a chat with your research divisions.”

Steven didn’t want them talking to the peridots or anybody on Homeworld - or Earth. He was just managing to get the other Diamonds to see reason and slow down on the intergalactic dictatorship-ness. He wasn’t dragging his home into a war of any sort.

“It’s not for war.” Steven stood up his fists at his sides. 

Anakin put his hands up like Steven was frothing at the mouth or something when all he was doing was standing his ground. “Kid, it’s not up to you and you couldn’t imagine how many lives it could save.”

“It is up to me, and im saying it’s not for war.” Steven said with a firm nod. 

Anakin sighed and Obi-wan patted him on the shoulder as he stepped forward. “Alright then, but we need to speak with your system about its infraction on the Coruscant treaty.” Obi-wan paused and smiled down at him. “I would also like to think that you might want a ride home?”

Steven deflated at the mention of going home. He didn’t want to bring these guys to Homeworld, but he wanted them going to Earth even less. Maybe Yellow would know what the Coruscant treaty was. He was catching up on Gem law, but who knew, maybe they were doing something that they shouldn’t and Steven would never know to stop it without these strange people bringing it up.

He also just wanted his own pillow. For once the other Diamonds can deal with whatever galactic mess they’d ended up in. 

“I don’t know what you mean by system, but I’m from Homeworld.” Steven answered tiredly.

Obi-wan hummed, “I don’t think im familiar with that planet. Do you know what quadrant that would be in?”

“What?”

“Apparently not,” Anakin sighed. “Kid, where is your planet? We can’t bring you home if you don’t tell us where to bring you.”

Steven felt like the smallest kid in the world and he was a teenager. He didn’t know how to direct through space. There weren’t any landmarks around to tell them left or right at. Every time he’d visited Homeworld, he’d warped there or had a crew who knew how to pilot the surrounding ship.

He felt like when he was little again and he only knew how to get from his dad’s to the temple and back alone. Everywhere else was a giant mystery too big for little him.

“Uhm, I can describe it more?”

Anakin gestured for him to continue. 

“Well the planet is split in half—“ Obi-wan turned to face the small gasp the Steven heard that wasn’t from either man. 

“Ahsoka, eavesdropping is rude.” A groan from the ladder and someone else flipped down landing with a bang of the metal. 

“Master I was just playing it safe, we didn’t know if they were hostile or—“ She stood up and trotted up beside Anakin who put a hand on her shoulder. 

It confused Steven. His reflex said Gem, but the more he gawked the more he found inconsistencies. Her clothes for one were clothes that seemed to drape and hang. A Gems clothing could do that but things like gloves and pants were more a part of their body than a removable option. 

The other bit was her hair. Or lack of hair. Most Gems pretended to have hair even if it could be as crazy as this girls. She seemed to have leathery looking horn tentacles?

What if she was a fusion? It would explain the opposite colour scheme of orange and blue? But what about the weird face markings? He supposed they could be part of her cut, but they were very symmetrical.

“What are you? Are you a Bluebird Azurite?” Steven blurted it out in the middle of the girl and Anakin bickering. His hand slapped his mouth. That was probably pretty rude.

Both Anakin and the girl turned their heads to stare at Steven who shrunk back a little. Whoops. Definitely rude.

“This is Ahsoka, Anakin’s apprentice.” Obi-wan said gesturing at the girl. “Have you never met a Torgruta before?”

“No—“ Steven shook his head, he turned to Ahsoka. “Sorry, that came out wrong. Didn’t mean it to be like that but I was just wondering if you were a Gem I hadn’t seen before.”

“You’ve never met a Torgruta before?” Ahsoka crossed her arms and rose an eyebrow.

Steven looked between the two men who weren’t saying anything, they also seemed curious. He licked his lips once. “Uh no, are you a different species?”

“Hunh? Yeah of course I am? Do I look anything like these guys?” She thumbed at Anakin who looked mock offended.

“Really? I’ve never met anyone other than Gems and Humans before!” Steven took an excited step forward, “We knew there had to have been other races. I’ve dealt with weird bird things but they weren’t exactly sentient. Not that that means anything, but I knew there had to be a reason for the Quartz armies. They couldn’t have needed them just to deal with little threats like local vegetation!” Steven took a breath. “Wow. It’s nice to meet you.” Steven smiled wide and stuck his hand out again to Ahsoka.

She gingerly took his hand, “Yeah… you too?”

He blinked at the hesitance only to smack himself, right new contact. That’s important isn’t it. With the previous way the Diamonds run things he would be hesitant too.

“Steven Quartz Universe, at your service!” He gave a small salute with a smile at her and she softened up a little giving him a smirk back.

To think that Steven would bump into a different species like this. Amethyst would claim this as her victory for launching him into space. 

“May we go back to the matter at hand?” Obi-wan asked 

“Oops, yeah sorry.” Obi-wan waved his concern away, “Well I’m from Homeworld. The planet is destroyed and being held together by the warp routes and the two rings that surround it. The planets surface is white and uh there aren’t any other noticeable planets around it.” Steven tapped at his chin for any other defining features. “You can see the milky way from it too if that helps?”

“Your planet’s destroyed? Like aerial bombardment or like the core is dying?” Ahsoka asked a little faint at such destruction. 

“Oh, no it was because of the kindergartens, the planet’s actually like split-” Steven made a circle by cupping both of his hands together and exploding them outwards. “-right down the middle. It’s why the warp pads are so important.”

Ahsoka made a small choking noise she covered up with a cough and Anakin looked uncomfortable. Obi-wan was the only who voiced his concern. “And the planet is hospitable for Humans and, what was that race you said, Gems?” 

“I wouldn’t say that… but nobody wants to abandon Homeworld.”

The three in front of him shared an even deeper look without words. It was like the ones Garnet and Pearl would share when they were off to do something dangerous or violent and didn’t want him to know anything about it even if it was always super clear, anyway.

“Alright so we’ll try to find your planet, but only on the condition that we speak with the planetary leaders. Do you know who they are?”

Steven sighed. “Yeah I know them, you guys seem like I can’t tell you otherwise and I really need to get home so I’ll bring you to them.”

Obi-wan nodded grateful and Anakin gave a thumbs up while Ahsoka only scrunched her nose. 

“How are you going to bring us to them?” She asked and Steven opened his mouth to answer when Anakin gave her a light shove and answered something quietly and she stopped for a second before making an ‘oh’ noise and nodded.

Steven shrugged and stood there rocking on his feet waiting to be told where to go.

Anakin and Ahsoka turned almost immediately and scaled the ladder that must lead to the cockpit. They scuttled up faster than Steven felt he’d be comfortable with and were out of sight in a flash. That left just him and Obi-wan. The man who vaguely reminded him of a more wordy Garnet. 

He made eye contact with him and the older man smiled lightly and turned around to the ladder and Steven had a moment as he looked around the empty cold room filled with pipes and handles. A set of four adult suits kept in a glass case on the wall. The same type Anakin had worn in space. Space suits… Awesome.

Obi-wan had grabbed the ladder and was about halfway up the rungs when he swung around, hanging on by one hand and his feet to face Steven better. “You’re welcome to join us in the cockpit so long as you touch nothing. There’re four chairs.” He said before he too slipped like syrup up the ladder and it left Steven to scramble after the man. 

He was much more cautious on the ladder. A fall from the top wouldn’t hurt him but it still stung, and he was sore from his various tumbles in space. He’d rather avoid it. 

As he poked his head over the edge of the opening into the cockpit, he could feel his eyes widen. It looked like a real spaceship. One with a million buttons and lights and even sounds. Just like Connie showed him in different TV shows. At one of the two front chairs Anakin sat tapping at a screen with Ahsoka leaning over his shoulder and pointing at various spots. 

Obi-wan was stretching his arms in the corner close to the robot he’d lost track of when he’d been tumbled in his bubble. It was plugged into the wall, maybe charging, but Steven saw that it swirled its head to look at him and beeped something loud enough that Obi-wan patted the top of its head. 

Steven climbed out of the ladder area and walked over to a wall to look at a screen that was flashing various bars and symbols he’d never seen before. Even a different language! He was only just starting to learn gem glyph and that was a slow process. The idea of learning a new language was both a disgusting notion and also the coolest thing he could think of. He was only learning gem glyph because it was a shame he didn’t already know being half Gem and all. The Diamonds also only sent him mail in the language. The possibility of learning a totally alien language just for the heck of it though would a real neat party trick.

He was squinting at the screen, trying to decide if they were like English or gem glyph. Some looked closer to one or the other but he was sure they weren’t anywhere close.

“Master, I think he might be from the even further out then Teth. Just on the very reaches of charted space there is a planet labelled Quadagan that matches his description fairly close.” Anakin called over startling Steven from his staring.

“I wouldn’t say close, the data is over 350 years outdated!” Ahsoka rebutted. “There isn’t even a plottable hyperspace lane.”

Obi-wan walked over while Steven scooted in behind him to stare at a screen with nothing legible on it.

“What do you think Steven? Does this look like your planet?” Obi-wan asked and Steven blinked up at him.

“Maybe I don’t know… What does it say?”

Anakin spun the pilot's chair around to frown at him. “What d’you mean? What’s it say?” He seemed to eye him closer. Like he was staring at his clothes and around the edges of his face. 

“I can’t read that.” Steven gestured at the screen. “I was looking at the screen back there and it’s cool looking but,” He just shrugged as his end.

“I thought they taught everyone galactic basic? It’s a requirement in the Republic and super encouraged with any planet close to a Republic system.” Ahsoka asked confused.

Steven didn’t know what to say to that. He knew English, some Spanish and Gem Glyph. He’d thought he was fairly covered. Besides, he was getting by. Maybe he couldn’t read what their ship said, but they were talking just fine.

“Can you maybe read it to me?” Steven tried.

Anakin swung around again and tapped at the screen, “The official records list the planet as Republic conquered, but since its last official visit by the senate in 3282 ATC it’s been 371 Years since last contact. The last officiated comments are ‘a glimmering metropolitan of crystal architecture that gives the impression of a dying sun’ and a ‘war torn planet in the middle of civil disobedience. Impressed upon us that they do not require Republic interference.’”

Ahsoka levelled her hand and her stare at Obi-wan in a way that spoke of just how ridiculous she thought it was. Obi-wan only stroked his beard and nodded. “Ahsoka sounds correct. This seems like a dead system that refused Republic help and unfortunately met their end. There would be no other reason for the Republic not to continue contact. It’s been almost 400 years. Even the hyperspace lanes have been neglected.” He pointed out on the screens.

She had a smug look on her face and Anakin sighed, “Master I don’t believe that we—“

“We’ve barely even searched! You just want your planet to be the right one,” Ahsoka accused Anakin and Steven was wondering when they would notice that he was trying to say something.

“That’s not true it’s just the closest to what Steven said,” Anakin gestured to Steven without looking at him and Steven huffed.

“Steven said nothing about any of that!”

“Snips, you need to read between the lines he’s said plenty.”

The bickering devolved further and Steven couldn’t stand stuff like this. While it would be amusing any other time he’d been trying to get a word in edge-wise for a while and it wasn’t working. All he could do was cross his arms and wait for the three people to listen to him.

More planet names he’d never heard of were tossed out, various lines that vaguely matched how he’d described Homeworld. Some were even close enough that he might say that the first one was wrong but the description of Homeworld was apt enough. Steven also had a funny feeling that Homeworld less refused help as took it as an admission of weakness that wasn’t allowed. The civil uprising was definitely his mother and the Crystal Gems on Earth. 

Also taking a peak at the other planets they’d suggested on the star map made him doubt it. At least whatever they’d called the first planet was on this end of the galaxy. It was hard to believe that he’d launched himself across an entire galaxy and not noticed. Or that it’d only take a single day to do it.

“Have any of these planets rung a bell Steven?” Obi-wan finally turned to him and Steven tipped his head to the side a little irritated how long they’d taken to ask him.

“Yeah, I’ve been trying to tell you guys the only one that makes sense is that first one you mentioned,” Anakin let out a hoot and a predatory look at Ahsoka who shook her head. “I was only in space for like a day, all the rest of these are across the galaxy!” 

Ahsoka opened her mouth to reject something only to click her tongue and look away. 

“All right, we’ll plot a course for Quadagan then.” Obi-wan cut in and spun Anakin’s chair back to the front console. Anakin more than happy to tap away at the screens, basking in his victory. 

“I’ll need at least twenty minutes to plot a safe enough course and measure the movement of celestial bodies, Artoo come’ere,” Anakin said, the robot in the corner trundling over to where Anakin was and beeping at the man.

Steven sighed, this was too much. Tired and worn and starting to feel a little woozy around the edges he walked over to a free chair on the side and plopped down in the seat that was a little big for him and padded weirdly for a person of his height. It was comfy even through the leather was ripping.

He wiggled into the curves worn into the chair and tucked his feet under himself and rested his head on his hand. Cheek pushed up a little, distorting his vision as he stared at Anakin chatting with the robot and Ahsoka sitting beside him watching with a hint of boredom. Obi-wan was off to the side of the room talking to a small hologram projection of another person, but it seemed like Steven couldn’t focus enough to hear what the man was saying. Only the warm murmurs of conversation. 

It was a sneeze that jarred him out of his sleep. It startled him awake enough that he sat up ramrod straight, blinking at the mirage of blue and white in front of him. He wiped his wrist on nose lightly and with his other hand rubbed at his eyes.

Every part of his body was stiff, and he groaned in misery when he tried to stretch out only to be caught by a very over the top seatbelt. The type that went around both shoulder and waist and legs. Like a baby car seat only bigger.

He looked around the cockpit to find only Anakin sitting at the helm, the other two missing in action. Weird, there didn’t seem to be much else of anywhere to go on the tiny ship.

Steven fumbled with his seatbelt in an attempt to take the over encumbering bit off.

“Keep that on, we’re exiting hyperspace soon and without it you’ll be launched through the viewport back into space.” Anakin said without even looking back and Steven jerked back.

“How d’you even get me into this? I’m not that heavy of a sleeper.” Steven tugged at the part wrapped around his legs.

“A small force suggestion to keep sleeping goes quite a way, figured you wouldn’t mind too much.” 

Steven scrunched his brow, “A small what what?”

“Force suggestion,”

Well that clarified nothing, but whatever. “Thanks I guess,” He said and rolled his shoulders holding in the groan at the stiffness. Everything burned and not in a good workout way. More like the impression that a nasty sickness was right around the corner with a spiked bat.

Steven cringed at the idea, sick either from being stuck in the space, frozen for a day, overextending his powers to stay alive, or from meeting a bunch of people from alien planets with alien diseases. 

It’s probably all the above and the last one was the scariest. Being part Gem meant he got sick a lot less by being, at the DNA level, infused with hard light and energy. So whatever he’d caught was a serious thing. Nothing to sneeze at.

He looked up at the bright light out the windshield and sneezed again. Steven could only frown in misery. 

“Where are we at?” There was a voice behind Stevens chair that had him trying to spin the spinny chair. It wouldn’t budge and Obi-wan and Ahsoka walked into view anyway.

“Just in time, we’re out in 90 seconds,” Anakin said and with that Obi-wan and Ahsoka parted. Obi-wan taking a prim seat beside Anakin and buckling himself in with deft hands. Ahsoka taking the time to adjust something dangling from her belt and her gloves before she sat back down in the seat at the opposite side of the ship from Steven. 

“And we didn’t crash in a fireball of death either! What an achievement.” Ahsoka said in a flat tone. Steven looked between the three of them. Had that been an option? 

“Thanks for your overwhelming enthusiasm and courage in my skills, Padawan,” Anakin sniped back. 

“With you behind the wheel Skyguy? Always.” She responded in a sickly sweet way. Anakin only scoffed in return. 

There was a loud whirl of the machinery and with a snap Steven was thrown into the seatbelt. The wind knocked out of him and his skin feeling tight. None of the Gem ships did that. Or the warp pads either. They felt like water.

“Taa-daa,” Anakin said as he unbuckled his own seat, the magic of the saying sucked out of it. 

It seemed like they were here.


	2. Eridanus - The Celestial River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day floating in space had given him time to develop the embarrassment that he should have thought about before he’d gone through with the stupid plan he and Amethyst had concocted.
> 
> “We thought, geez… We thought it might be funny if I got into the cannons and she fired them straight up.” Steven mumbled the last bit into his chest. Anakin snorted hard and quickly covered his smile with his hand when Obi-wan sent an exhausted glare at him.
> 
> "Why does this sound familiar Anakin?" Obi-wan asked putting his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "We'll get you home on one condition. We speak to the planetary leaders."

Steven looked up and grinned wide, never so happy to see Homeworld in all its shattered glory.

“Kriffin hell! What happened there!” Ahsoka squawked ignoring Anakin’s quick rebuke of ‘language’.

Obi-wan spun in his chair and faced Steven who was vibrating in his chair, “I’ll assume we found the right planet then?” He chuckled at the sheer energy coming off Steven.

“Thank you guys so much! Oh, I can’t wait to tell Amethyst what happened and—“ Steven was cut off by a loud chime sound.

“They’re hailing us,” Anakin informed the group as he flicked a switch and a medium sized hologram popped up in the middle of the windshield. Anakin frowned at the hologram.

A Peridot with rectangle hair appeared looking unamused. Her eyes flicking between the screen and something off camera. She seemed busy.

“Attention approaching vessel you are entering Sovereign Gem territory state your designation or be removed.” 

“We don’t have a designation,” Anakin started, and the Peridot shot her head up and squinted into the camera only to rear back, gaining a look of disgust. “We were seeking audience with the planetary leaders concerning matters that violate the treaty of Coruscant.”

The Peridot didn’t even seem to listen to the other half of what Anakin had said and waved her limb enhancers, “If you have no designation then I will be sending an escort to remove you from the area. They will have orders to fire if provoked.”

“Now hold on a minute!” Obi-wan started only to be shut down similarly.

“Thank you that will be all!” The Peridot squawked. 

“We have a citizen of yours!” Ahsoka shouted from her seat as the Peridot was about to wave away the projection.

Anakin threw a vicious glare at Ahsoka as the Peridots disinterest turned a little more aggressive. Steven winced. This could go badly now, if they knew who he was it would be catastrophic for his rescuers. If they didn't well… He wanted to go home, and that just sucked.

“You have a prisoner?” The Peridot growled as the same time that three Ruby ships appeared in front of them. “Are you attempting to use a lesser Gem to reach the illustrious Diamonds?” The Peridot barked a laugh and wiped a mock tear away with her finger. “We’ll shoot you _and_ your prisoner down. If they’re any sort of decent Gem, they will relish the opportunity to be shattered for their Diamonds.”

Steven gulped looking at the Ruby ships, he fumbled with his seatbelt. He needed to stop the Peridot from blasting them all to bits.

“No, we’re very sorry we didn’t mean for it to come across like that. We picked up a denizen of your planet who required help home, we’re simply the envoy of that. We come entirely in peace.” Obi-wan attempted to sooth the Peridots nerves, holding his hands up to the projection.

“Why would I believe that!” The Peridot screeched and Steven slid out of his seat, the seatbelt clattering to the chair, and sprinted over to the screen. His flip-flops clacking on the metal. Ahsoka made an ‘abort mission’ movement with her hand though Steven ignored that.

“Peridot!” Steven shouted as he struggled to fit between the pilot and Co-pilots chairs. Anakin and Obi-wan both moving out of his way when he wiggled in-between their arms. “Call off the red eyes! They mean no harm!” 

The random Peridot focused her attention on him and it was the same as all new Homeworld Gems that had never seen him before. Disdain. 

“I will not listen to a pathetic human,” Steven frowned at her attitude. He needed to work faster with the other Diamonds to curb this kind of hostility. They would no longer be a war faring race.

Anakin mouthed ‘pathetic human’ in confusion to Obi-wan who frowned.

Growling to himself Steven wracked his brain for his clearance codes. He knew them. He did. They were just usually transmitted by his crew or Pearl or even just the ship he was on. “Designation PD dash, uh one osh luminary twenty three.”

The Peridot’s eyes widened before she fell back into her anger and Steven was just so very frustrated with this whole thing. Yes, they were Pink Diamonds codes, no he wasn’t Pink Diamond. The whole thing was getting old but here he was going through it again while also trying to keep them from blowing him sky high.

“How’d a human like you get that code!” The Peridot shrieked and Steven could only barge onwards. There was no reasoning.

“I want to speak with Yellow Diamond!”

“Absolutely not!”

“My names Steven Universe! I want to speak with the Diamonds.” Steven tried again. 

The Peridot shook her head. “I should blast your craft out of the sky for the audacity of taking Pink Diamonds code!” 

“Steven I don’t think this is working, this is your planet isn’t it?” Anakin whispered to Steven. He watched the red eyes with a calculating stare.

Steven spun his head to Anakin, “It is! We’re just working out some kinks is all…” He turned back to the obstinate Peridot, “What is your Facet and Cut! I will tell Yellow Diamond about this.” 

If all else fails, pretend to call the manager. Steven cringed at the thought. 

She laughed again, “Peridot Facet 5X7G Cut - Y7T at your service.” She didn’t seem to take him seriously. Steven ground his teeth together.

“Could one of you guys record that for me? I can only remember so much…” Steven asked and Ahsoka shouted her confirmation behind him. 

“You’re taking that down?” Peridot 5X7G asked a tad bit put out.

“Yes.” Steven said.

“Why, We’re about to blast you to bits?” 

“Because my designation was already logged, and I kinda disappeared a couple of days ago… so I imagine that Pearl and the others are kind of going nuts about now.” Steven smiled genially. Being vindictive wasn’t easy for him, but he could feel his muscles dragging, he was a little sick, and couldn’t stand this Peridots attitude. She wasn’t even following the laws already implemented that said that they did not threaten with violence first! And that bit about shattering for the Diamonds. A big no no.

It was about then that a familiar Pearl stepped up beside the Peridot scaring her. She let out a screech that reverberated with the ship's speakers. The Pearl falling into a perfect Diamond salute.

“Pink Lasagna, Your ship has been noted and you will find an escort to the Pink hanger.” Yellow Pearl bent into the screen and rearranged something on the Peridots screen as the Peridot shivered in fear. Steven only sighed at the sight. This is why he’d been pushing the Diamonds to make public announcements of things like these so that the Gems didn’t cower in fear when they no longer had too. Yellow insisted though that it would lead to chaos and that they needed to take this all slower.

“Thanks Pearl! This is Anakin,” Steven gestured at the man, “He is the pilot.” 

Anakin blinked in confusion at the random introduction until there were three more hails from the surrounding red eyes. His fingers flying fast over the console and in the span of a second there were three very similar voices all calling in.

_“Leader Ruby 14E Starboard,”_

_“Leader Ruby R8 Port,”_

_“Commander Ruby 9HM Point, Copy ”_

All three red eyes fell into position around the ship and Anakin cracked a small grin, “This is Anakin aboard the Twilight following your orders Commander Ruby.”

The large holo of Yellow Pearl and the Peridot blipped out with Pearl ending in a Diamond salute again. 

“Alright, buckle in everyone. We’re going in for reentry.” Anakin said and Steven nodded amicably. He unsquashed himself and padded back to the chair and managed to re-wrap himself back together in the chair.

“So Steven, the report mention about the civil disobedience… has that ended yet?” Obi-wan asked a little stilted. Steven could only cringe a bit at the accusing undertone. Homeworld had come so far already! When he’d first visited they tried to put him on a sham trial just to shatter him. Then they tried to force him to conform to the dictatorship. It wasn’t good. 

“Yes! It’s coming up on the anniversary of era three!” Steven defended.

“ _The_ anniversary?” Obi-wan asked, a little faint.

“Yeah, we’ve finally moved to era three a year ago and the Crystal Gems are no longer war criminals. We’re really making some progress! You should see the things that Pearl has done.”

“So what Im hearing here,” Ahsoka interrupted, “Is that the civil disobedience has lasted nearly 400 years…” She said it a little breathless. Her eyes tracing the shattered outline of Homeworld. 

Steven laughed a little, 400 years? Where’d she get that idea? “No no, The Crystal Gems have been rebelling for nearly 5,000 years. Era three is really impressive when you think about it in terms of that. We’ve made a lot of improvements in the last year alone.”

Steven almost didn’t notice the tightening of Anakin’s hands on the yoke, but he saw the shell-shocked look on Ahsoka’s face. He couldn’t see Obi-wan from where he sat, but there was almost a tangible pressure dropped in the cockpit. 

“Your people have been at war for 5,000 years?” Ahsoka double checked.

“With ourselves, yeah, but all that’s changed now! It’s getting better!” Steven said extra cheery at the end. Nobody believed him, but it was the truth.

The ship shook with the entry to the planet's atmosphere and Anakin and the Rubies were busy sending checks and balances over the radio. Anakin was very professional and seemed to pick up the Rubies unique way of acting quickly which Steven appreciated. They weren’t always the easiest to get along with. Scratch that, almost all Gems were difficult in one way or another. The way they thought was just so foreign at points that even though Steven had a family in the Crystal Gems, he still had a hard time understanding everything.

As they flew in they neared his mom's leg ship, veering to the pad closest to the legs themselves. The giant pink legs seeming to confuse everyone on board and Steven only smiled cause he still didn’t understand either. Why legs? He knew they could essentially form Boltron with all the Diamond ships, but they could’ve gone with something else.

He felt his shoulders droop as he looked out the windshield; there wasn’t a greeting entourage of thousands of Gems in the shape of the diamond insignia. That was progress! Recent progress too! He’d fought with White and Blue for nearly a week solid on the need of the ridiculous, humiliating pony show.

Steven could feel the ship touch down, the jostle as the feet bounced, and he couldn’t help but break out into a big grin. He waited till he saw Ahsoka unbuckling her own seatbelt as a signal for him to rip through his own. It came off quick as he could and he was at the ladder before anyone else practically bouncing up and down.

Ahsoka came to stand near him, valiantly attempting to deflect his radiating energy. Obi-wan was next to stand up as Anakin thanked the Rubies and signed off with them. 

The second Anakin had stood up and started his walk over to the rest of them Steven dropped down the hole, ignoring the ladder which he had eyed up before. The hit impacting his legs and sending shakes of pins and needles straight up from his heels to his knees. He hissed for a second; he knew he shouldn’t have done that. He’d already had this internal conversation and ignored the whole thing to his own detriment. 

Ahsoka slid down the ladder without touching a rung and gave him a raised eye, but said nothing to his stupid jump. He was glad of the avoidance. He was excited to see the Gems again. Being in space alone for an entire day was stressful when nobody knew you were there.

Obi-wan climbed down while Anakin slid down much the same as Ahsoka. Not a huge surprise considering how similar the two were at points and wasn’t Ahsoka Anakin’s student or something?

“Alright kid, we got you here so you gotta hold up your end of the bargain.” Anakin said as he walked over to a panel that was close to the bay doors of the ship. Ahsoka and Obi-wan flanking both of Stevens sides with him at the point.

“No problem!” Steven saluted the man as he pressed a button and the doors started to lower. As it went Anakin walked over to them and took up the point behind them all. Steven barely noticed as he zeroed in past the Ruby guards saluting at the entrance of their own ships around them into the three figures up on the ledge of the leg ship’s landing dock. 

“Steven!” Pearl called across the long landing area, hand waving in the air, and with no warning Steven sprinted out of the ship laughing, ignoring the salutes of the Rubies and the calls of his rescuers behind him. He reached close enough to the raised wall that separated the two landing pads and jumped, flinging himself into the air faster and farther than any human had any right doing.

Pearl had her arms wide and Steven was far too experienced doing this to miss. He landed in a spinning giggling hug with Pearl that turned into a dog pile as Amethyst tucked herself into the hug and Garnet moved in on them all.

“Pearl you’re never going to believe it!” Steven said grinning wide as they untangled from the hug and Pearl went to put Steven back down on the ground. “I met a new species!” He squealed.

“No way!” Amethyst gushed a little and Garnet only grinned a bit.

“Yes way! They picked me up while I was floating around and they even brought me back without knowing where Homeworld was. They called it some funky name. Urquhart or Uruguay or something.”

“Floating around!” Pearl went a little shrill and turned on Amethyst who shrank back a little and scratched her head. 

“I should probably say sorry Ste-man, that was not very cool of me.” Amethyst said and Pearl only huffed and turned away.

Steven bumped shoulders with Amethyst, “Im alright and I did say yes to it too, but maybe next time we can lower the power of it?”

“You got it little man,”

Garnet stepped forward and moved her hand down to the other landing site, “Steven I believe your other companions are getting a little anxious being left alone.”

He jolted out of his happy haze and peered over the edge to where the three others were surrounded by Rubies and seemed close to getting into a fight by the look on some of the Rubies’ faces. 

“Oh yeah, come on I’ll introduce you!” Steven ran to jump off the edge only for Garnet to scoop him up mid jump and put him on her shoulder as she jumped.

He frowned down at her and all he got was a pat on his leg. He shrugged it off when she let him down so he could walk through the mass of Rubies gathered.

“My—“ The first one started and Steven cut them off with a ‘just Steven’

“Just Steven, what would you like done?” A Ruby with her gem on her right collar bone asked and Steven sighed.

“Nothing, just go back to your duties please. I’ll take care of this.”

“Of course! Ruby squads, move out!” The Ruby shouted and with a fluid movement they all filed back onto their ships preparing for takeoff to continue their rounds.

That left just the Crystal Gems and the three others alone on the landing pad. If there was wind on Homeworld, you would hear the empty whistle go through the area.

“So, you’ve got a very competent military force,” they said it in a way that made Steven just sigh. Military might was never something to celebrate or even appreciate in his opinion. It only hurt people.

“Please don’t mention it,” Steven said. “Anyway, I would like to introduce you to the Crystal Gems,” He gestured to the Gems behind him with a smile. “This is Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Guys, this is Obi-wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka.”

“A pleasure,” Obi-wan was the first to answer and incline his head. Pearl also bowed back and Garnet nodded. Amethyst gave a quick wave. 

Steven turned to the Gems and crossed his fingers, “So do you guys know if the Diamonds are all here?”

Pearls nose crinkled.

Obi-wan stepped forward again, “We would like to have an audience with the planetary rulers regarding a treaty that is being ignored on behalf of the Republic.”

“I’ve never heard of that before.” Garnet said and Steven nodded. He had no idea what they were talking about, but he’d like to.

“It’s more of a high political thing, most folks would never hear about it.” Anakin offered to the group and Garnet only repeated her previous statement much to everyone’s confusion.

“Oh yes, I suppose that Sapphire would’ve known.” Pearl bopped her palm in understanding. Garnet nodded and Steven also clicked in.

“Sapphire was part of Blue’s court wasn’t she! She would have been her advisor.”

“One of many but yes.” Garnet answered him.

Steven put his hand on his chin and cocked his hip humming, “So if you don’t know,” Steven pointed at Garnet, “and you don’t either,” He pointed at Pearl, “And I don’t then this is super secretive!”

Steven was proud of himself for the deduction that if Sapphire didn’t know, and Pearl, the Pearl who worked hand in hand with his mother didn’t know either that it was something he definitely should know.

“That’s a problem if it is, it’s galactic law,” Anakin said much to amethysts humour as she scoffed.

“When has law ever stopped the-“ and she struck a pose, “Crystal Gems!” She said in a super voice. Steven snorted at the look and she bowed twice to nothing.

The other three didn’t seem to find it as funny and only frowned. Amethyst muttered a quiet ‘bummers’. 

A loud chime interrupted the group in their chat and Steven cringed down with the rest of the Gems, White Diamond was calling. The three others looked around for the sound's origin. 

“Well then, I suppose we better get going before she just sends someone out here…” Steven laughed a little, his throat tight. White still scared him. She’d done something to him and ever since he’d felt off. He didn’t even like to think about the event at all.

He saw Ahsoka mutter about the Diamond chime to Anakin who shrugged and shook his head, Ahsoka huffed at the answer.

White was also one of the three least likely to listen and she also refused to budge on the most simple of things like saying please and thank you. She refused to believe they were the magic words. 

“Who’s ‘she’?” Obi-wan asked.

“White Diamond,” Garnet answered as she turned and started walking away. The ghost of her name sending another round of shivers through the Crystal Gems that didn’t go unnoticed by the other group who exchanged a look.

The rest of the Gems turned to walk with Garnet and Steven turned to run after them, but waited for the other three who took him looking back at them as their signal to follow him.

“What’s so bad about this White Diamond?” Ahsoka asked a fake cheer to her tone. Steven didn’t think she actually wanted to know. They probably just wanted to know what they were walking into.

Amethyst slowed from the rest of the group and turned to walk backwards so she could face Ahsoka. With her hands behind her head she scoffed “Oh you know, she forcibly took over our bodies and forced us to capture Connie, and she split Steven in half, nearly killing him. But what’s a little water under the bridge.” She forced a laugh out, her left eye subtlety twitching.

Ahsoka seemed to go a shade paler and both Anakin and Obi-wan grabbed something at their belts. 

“Put your weapons away, they will not affect her or any Gem the way you want and you’ll only sink your chances of speaking civilly.” Garnet called from the front of the pack and Anakin’s face stretched into surprise.

Steven looked closer at the things they had in their hands. They just looked like tubes, not a weapon. Had they been armed the entire time he was on the ship and he just hadn’t noticed? Scary.

“And where does White Diamond stand in the chain of command?” Obi-wan asked quietly.

Amethyst tipped her head in his direction with a deadly smile, “The very top, you see that?” She pointed to the entrance of the door they were heading too. The diamond insignia shined on its surface. Obi-wan and crew nodded. “That’s the permeant reminder of the pecking order in case you ever forget. White on the very top.” 

“So there’re four leaders?” 

Amethyst nodded, turning back around as they walked through the sliding door. “There is now,”

Steven cringed at the reminder. He was doing good work, nobody would say otherwise, but taking on the mantle of one of Homeworlds leaders was a heavy burden on his conscious. All the pain and suffering was his to shoulder since none of the other Diamonds even so much as thought about it.

They walked in silence through the door and to the landing pads warp pad. Garnet first to stand and wait on the glimmering surface. As every Gem piled onto the massive warp the others were looking around in confusion. 

“Grab your nearest Gem,” Amethyst said in a pilot voice as she latched onto Anakin without him saying anything. He wasn’t thrilled if his grunt and struggle for his arm back was saying anything. Obi-wan took Pearl’s offered hand while Steven offered his own to Ahsoka who frowned in confusion at him. She opened her mouth to voice that confusion, but Garnet was moving to activate the warp so Steven just grabbed her hand quickly and held on when she tried to pull away. They really couldn’t have them get lost in the warp system. Who knows where they’d turn up.

The feeling of water rushing through his skin took them up and even through the liquid feeling he held on. At the end of the ride Steven tugged hard on the hand that he held to ground her and ground himself all in the same movement. The feel of water being poured over his hair lifted as the warp let go of them and they all landed on their feet.

The others all gasped like they had stopped breathing and there was a good chance that they had. They wouldn't think they could, just like Steven’s first time in a warp. He released Ahsoka’s hand with a quiet apology and stepped off the warp, pushing his shirt down and cleaning up his messy hair with his spit. 

White was, just like Bismuth called her, a lion. Either he went in with a straight spine or he’d lose it. 

Again. 

The Clear Quartz soldiers were guarding the Diamond sized door and Steven walked up to it his breaths getting shorter the closer he got. He hadn’t had to deal with White alone in a while. Let alone when he was bringing foreigners from other planets other than Gem conquered ones. 

His smile became strained and crooked. Garnet gave him a squeeze on the shoulder as the Crystal Gems moved to the side to wait with the Clear Quartz’s looking just as uncomfortable.

“If she causes you this much distress, we can enter on our own,” Obi-wan offered to Steven as he bent down to whisper it at him and Steven gave him a strained smile and shook his head.

“Thanks, but she didn’t call for you guys. You’re my uninvited guests.”

Obi-wan clicked his tongue and nodded, sticking his hands in his sleeves as he fell behind Steven and beside Anakin who also was hiding his hands in his sleeves. Ahsoka falling into the point in the back.

The guards pushed the massive doors open with one hand and nodded at Steven as he walked through, throwing odd glances as the rest of them walked in with Steven. Humans other than him and Connie had never been seen before. Ahsoka wasn't even human either so that was an even bigger wrench.

“Oh Starlight there you are, we were worried about you after I heard reports that you’d gotten yourself lost. You must be more careful,” White boomed from her throne. The three other thrones surrounding her massive glowing form.

Steven heard one of them behind him choke a little and Steven envied their masked calm if that’s all that he got out of them for their first meeting with White Diamond. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didnt mention it first chapter cause it was late, (it's still late but whatever) but this was actually only supposed to be a quick oneshot of Steven getting dropped off by the crew but uhhhhh it was too fun to write? So its actually like 20,000 something words long. 
> 
> Also I write Garnet with her future vision in account so she'll just randomly do odd shit cause she saw something she didnt like. So if theres ever a what? moment with her its cause of that.
> 
> ( ´з｀)ﾉ⌒☆


	3. Leo Minor - The Little Lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day floating in space had given him time to develop the embarrassment that he should have thought about before he’d gone through with the stupid plan he and Amethyst had concocted.
> 
> “We thought, geez… We thought it might be funny if I got into the cannons and she fired them straight up.” Steven mumbled the last bit into his chest. Anakin snorted hard and quickly covered his smile with his hand when Obi-wan sent an exhausted glare at him.
> 
> "Why does this sound familiar Anakin?" Obi-wan asked putting his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "We'll get you home on one condition. We speak to the planetary leaders."

Steven laughed in strangled spurts as he walked closer to White, the others trailing close behind him. “Yeah, I’ll try. I didn’t mean to make anyone worry, we didn’t know that those cannons had so much power is all…” Steven trailed off before he remembered Bismuth’s words and he lifted his head and shoulders to face White and look her in the eye. A mantra of ‘she won’t hurt me’ running though his head.

“Next time you have a silly idea like that have a Pearl or maybe a Quartz try it first. We can always make more you know, you though, are one of a kind.” She leaned down from her throne to poke his nose with one of her nails that was bigger than his entire body. 

“Pearls and Quartz’s are just as valuable!” He tried to refute, but as usual she got that look on her face that said she was barely even humouring him.

“Really Starlight? Now is not the time when you’ve brought…” She hesitated as she curled her lip at everyone behind him. “Others.” The disdain radiated off her in the very light she shone.

Steven groaned into his teeth, “They rescued me and wanted to speak with the Diamonds about something important, apparently. Do you know where Blue and Yellow are?”

“Does it really require that kind of turn out, I’m sure we can handle this ourselves Pink.”

Steven flinched under the name, “My name’s Steven,”

White sat back into her seat and rolled her eyes as she crossed her legs. It hurt to be dismissed over something so intrinsic, but simple. He rubbed at his gem. With a shake of his head he squared his shoulders again. “I want Yellow and Blue here.”

“You’re still so demanding, but yes I will call them.” She summoned her new Pearl who stepped out of the shadows frail as fallen snow and shaking like she’d been stuck out in the foul weather for hours.

Steven turned to face the other behind him, Ahsoka looked a little peeved and Anakin was grinding his teeth. Only Obi-wan didn’t seem irritated.

“So were you just not going to tell us we came in with the residing king?” Anakin ground out. Steven gave a pained smile. He’d like to just fess up and say he didn’t want this crown decadent with Indian stones and diamonds, he just wanted to be Steven. He was in the courtroom though. In the lions' den and any admission of doubt would have White sending him to his mother's room again and all the progress he’d made would slide back.

Ahsoka instead had a different question, “How did you even become king? I haven’t seen another single human here and I’ve seen slaver planets that were friendlier to humans than here.”

“Well first of all, I’m not a king, I’m a Diamond,” Steven said it with a bit of strain, “and I kind of inherited it from my mother who was _actually_ Pink Diamond. Im half human.”

Obi-wan nodded with a sympathetic eye as he looked between the stress sitting in Steven’s shoulders and White who was staring at the small Pearl beside her with contained disgust. “I imagine this position isn’t often shifted?”

Steven laughed a little too cold for his own liking, “No, I’m the first of my kind and Mom was the last of the Diamonds to be made.”

“What does that mean,” Ahsoka groused and Obi-wan sent a pitying look at Steven who just accepted it- as he was one of the first to really do so. Nobody else understood or was willing to show their pity at a human boy taking on the role of his mother - an alien queen regnant. With no training and no support from the others in his position. None that mattered at least.

“Steven?” Anakin asked worried with an aborted movement forward. Hand raised in the air like he would grab Steven. The other two looked alarmed as well and Steven could only frown as he felt thick tears fall off his cheeks like a river. He didn’t even bother wiping them off.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Steven tried to wave off their concern as he sniffled hard. His voice becoming creaky with the tears that fell.

The large door burst open and through it Blue Diamond stormed in, her Pearl jogging to keep up with her mistress. Both Gems having tears coursing down their faces, but only one with the real emotion behind them.

“Oh Steven! You’re back thank the stars!” Blue scooped Steven off the floor faster than he could protest and squished him up to her hair. He watched the astonished faces of the other three as he disappeared into a world of sweet smelling hair.

He’d give up a week's worth of Pasta with Garnet to hear their thoughts. He knew his own when he first saw the Diamonds, but that was boring considering he’d already had a good idea of them. Three random strangers getting to see the Diamonds up close for the first time? Good entertainment in his books.

“Hi Blue, Im fine, can you put me down and stop sending out your power?” Steven said muffled his mouth full of hair and tears.

“Sorry, I was just so worried. You had no idea how hard I had to stop Yellow from shattering that Amethyst of yours you know.” She lowered him to the ground again and wiped at her own tears flicking them into the corner of the room. Ahsoka watched them go with a concerned look.

Steven scrubbed at his own face to rub away the tears, he also saw the two Pearls in the room discreetly doing the same thing. 

“Thank you Blue, I would’ve done something bad had that— and I—“ Steven cut himself off and shook his head. The idea of Yellow shattering Amethyst was horrifying and barely computed in his brain. “Just thanks.”

Blue smiled at him and nodded before she walked over to her throne and greeted White who spoke with her.

“Are all the Diamonds this tall?” Ahsoka wondered out loud and Steven chuckled at that. 

“The answer is yes. The chairs fit the Gem.” Steven laughed as he gestured to the thrones across the room. The smallest being his mothers and even then it was not small by anyone's standard in their little group on the ground.

“I somehow don’t think you fit,” Anakin interjected and both Obi-wan and Ashoka elbowed him making him cough from the pain. 

He laughed again, “I wouldn’t want too, but I sorta can if I fuse with Connie. At least we look better? Like we fill more of it.” He shrugged. With enough drive he could either fuse with someone to become big enough or he could shape shift larger. Neither was easy and who really cared if he fit? 

“Fuse?” It was asked but ignored as the doors flew open and Yellow strode in.

“You’re back, good.” Yellow stopped at Steven before continuing on to sit down and cross her legs on her throne. “Im busy so whatever you needed me for we better get this started.” Yellow sent a look at Steven and he snapped out of it. 

“Right sorry!” Steven turned to the others and gave them a thumbs up before he walked up to the stairs that lead to his mother’s throne and he leapt on to it. He wiggled to sit down and struggled to sit straight enough without the back of the chair to help. His request to add a bean bag was denied here.

Steven could see the snicker that came out of Ahsoka when she looked at him in the gigantic chair. It was easy to grin back at that; it was funny looking.

Yellow Pearl stepped out of the shadows of wherever she had tucked herself and announced the beginning of a court. Announcing each Diamond in order of age only to reach him. She paused looking up to White. Pearls’ face crunching and her tongue raced out to lick her lips. She called him out as his mother which disappointed but did not surprise him at this point.

All three in attendance bowed low in synch. A feat he hadn’t seen outside of Gems, dance troupes and maybe London royal guards on TV.

Obi-wan stepped forward and stood tall, his hands still in his sleeves looking distinguished. “Your majesties, we stand before you seeking an audience to discuss the treaty of Coruscant that you are in violation of and of reconnecting with the Republic,” 

There was a pregnant pause before White started laughing and both Steven and Blue looked up at her with a bit of fear and confusion. Only Yellow looked serious.

“Really Steven, you managed to find… Oh stars you brought Jedi here?” She also started to laugh, hiding it behind her hand. 

“So you _do_ know of us, we were concerned that over the 300 years of separation that contact may have eroded completely.” 

Yellow snorted, “300 years, ridiculous, we have not forgotten you, though it seems like you’ve forgotten exactly who we are. Not all that surprising for organics such as yourselves.”

Steven was watching with wide eyes as Yellow and White seemed like they would laugh the trio off the planet. Blue was also sitting in a confusion that was masked by her trust in Yellow. The trio themselves seemed unfazed by the response even though Steven’s own anxiety was ratcheting up.

Anakin stepped up beside Obi-wan, “This planet and its system is, however removed, a part of the Republic and you are all in violation of not bringing possible weapons of war to the attention of the senate. We are also in wartime and failure to assist the Republic in any way is grave.”

White continued to laugh, slapping her thigh. “You think this planet is part of the Republic? You all are terribly misinformed. The Gem empire is not held back by your trivial senate. We are a sovereign state. For you to come before all four of us with such trivial misinformed ideas… we should have you shattered.”

Steven leaped to his feet, “We are not killing them!”

White leaned over Steven, casting her shadow over his chair. “Starlight you don’t understand the full picture. I’ve made it abundantly clear to the Jedi that they were never to set foot in our empire again. I am not the one here who is at fault.”

“Obviously you didn’t ‘make it clear’ because they didn’t know,”

“Just because they cannot keep records does not affect my decision,” White sat back and Steven was stunned. Just like that.

“Now hold on White, You are not the only deciding factor in this authority.” Blue spoke up and Steven thanked every star in the system that Blue would go to bat for him. 

White drifted her head to look at Yellow who seemed bored. “Yellow what do you say?”

Yellow opened her mouth to get this over with only to look down at Steven who at the moment was standing tall and furious on his throne, his hands fisted at his sides and red in the face. She quirked her lip at the familiar sight and waved her hand in a lazy circle. “Well White, with all respect I believe we should reconsider all of our previous engagements in an effort to create a better and stronger era three. Maybe this could be beneficial to us now.”

White grumbled something nasty under her breath and slumped in her chair. A hand propping up her head.

“What weapons were you interested in? We are not in wartime, so it piques my interest as to which you would have seen.” Yellow asked with a quirk to her lip.

Anakin made to answer only for Steven to sit back down and raise his hand. Blue and Yellow both turning to face him. Anakin twitched a little at the silencing, but otherwise didn’t move, letting Steven have the floor.

“Actually, I can answer this question. They found me in my bubble and mistook it for something else.” Steven said to Yellow. She nodded in understanding.

“Just because you keep insisting it isn’t weaponized does not mean we could not use it for the war effort,” Ahsoka spoke up, a little of her frustration in her tone. “It could save so many clones,”

“While I’m sure Steven would be the first to offer it if it would save someone this is not an option,” Blue responded to Ahsoka, her tone gentle as she smiled down at Steven and the others.

“On behalf of the Republic we would like to enter negotiations to ensure that it is an option,” Obi-wan refuted and Steven sighed. He’d never had the chance to explain that it was a part of him. Not just something he can give away.

“You come in here misunderstanding fundamental aspects of our species, typical of the Jedi, and so demand that one of our own join you in a war when we only just got her back,” White glowered from her chair, pointing at Steven who shook his head. They weren't even asking that! Where’d she get that idea from?

“We are doing no such thing!” Anakin shouted back and Obi-wan and Yellow shot him dangerous glares that only silenced him, but didn't remove the stubborn look off his face. 

“Guys, the bubble is something that’s actually a part of me. I can’t just give it to you.” Steven tried to defuse the situation. Maybe if they wanted the Rose Quartz’s they could use them to help, but Steven was adamant that the Gem empire would stop conquering and fighting. They had enough to figure out on their own.

“I believe we are at the disadvantage in this, forgive our lack of knowledge, but the Republic has very little information on this system and its people. We came here in peace to _further_ peace.” Obi-wan held his hands up in a gesture of calmness and everyone sat back in their chairs or stepped back into line. The man had a gift not to unlike Steven’s own.

“How about we all start from the top?” Steven cast out, to the grumblings of everyone. “Hello, my name is Steven, I’m a half Gem, half human hybrid and I’m fifteen years old. I’ve never heard of the Republic before and do not understand what you would like us to do.”

Steven gave a strained smile as he looked around the room to the exasperated faces of the other Diamonds and the raised eyebrows from the three on the ground.

Anakin gave a small chuckle and nodded, his shoulders dropping. Ahsoka looked at the both of them like they were crazy and Obi-wan held his mask in place even if the tense fist he’d had woven had broken.

“Alright then, We are a Jedi embassy for the Republic of systems. The Republic is at war with the Separatist alliance whose plans have not made themselves clear to us. As it is, we are fighting in a stalemate. When we retrieved your highness, we uncovered a lost system, your system,” Obi-wan gestured at them. “That was not in contact with the senate. It had been listed in our data logs as a Republic friendly system currently ongoing in a civil disobedience. We then seem to have misidentified a feature of your species as a new technology not yet seen before. Our intentions have only been to make contact and see if you might provide aid to the Republic forces.” Obi-wan finished with a deep breath of air and a bow and Steven had half a mind to clap for the monologue.

“You come to us asking for help then,” Yellow asked her fist on her cheek. Both her and White looking bored to dust.

“Yes, and the ability to establish a more concrete communication between us.” Obi-wan nodded.

Steven couldn’t tell if this was working. He also still felt awfully lost. 

“The Jedi come crawling to us for help, what a change in opinion since last time.” White mused and Ahsoka and Anakin twitched at the degrading tone. White was just so nasty sometimes. “Pink, what do you think of this and how it lines up with your new… ideas,” She didn’t even look at him as she said it. Her opinion on the matter clear.

“I do not want to enter another war, we only just got out of one and we are trying to encourage Gems to break from their traditional roles.” Steven said it with confidence. The Gems were barely understanding the cease fire right now. To throw them back into a war would be unfair. 

He felt bad for them though and the Gems had more than enough resources to help. That was all he ever wanted to do was help. The dilemma came as such. If he helped this one group that he did not know, that represented different systems with trillions of beings, he’d be using his own single damaged system to do so or he could ignore the suffering of trillions to focus on his own home system and its people’s health and wellbeing.

What even was his life now? A year or two ago all he cared about was learning to throw his shield like a frisbee and if he should go to public school with Connie.

Their faces were close to crestfallen and Steven wondered if it was a tactic with how stiff and formal they’d maintained themselves so far. The break in the masks was jarring and Steven shifted on his butt.

“That being said, to ignore so many other possible allies seems dumb when we have so much…” Steven trailed off not knowing where else to go with that thought.

“There are thousands of platoons stationed on Homeworld after you demanded that I disband the armies, a few going permanently missing would be nothing.” Yellow said much to every organics horror.

“Yellow! We’re supposed to consider them as individuals now!” Blue chastised and Steven grimaced at the forced wording of it. It’s clear that Blue wasn’t getting the full picture either.

“What exactly do you expect the Quartz’s to do Blue? They are muscle designed to be nothing else. Pink’s own amethysts barely kept that forsaken zoo alive as an entire platoon!” Yellow shot back.

“Hey! Amethyst can do so much! They just need time to learn!” Steven shouted back and Yellow sighed and covered her eyes.

“We could assign non-combatant Gems to assist in maintenance and management. Im sure the Peridots and Heliodors could help improve things.” Yellow offered again and Steven stopped to consider it for a moment.

“Most systems only aid financially and through materials,” Anakin butted in looking a little worn at their bickering. 

“Yeah about that—“ Steven started only for Yellow to laugh again.

She dropped the fake laugh and leaned forward more serious; her face darkening. “We are in a critical material shortage as it is. Pathetic—“ Steven cried out for her to quit calling things lower than her only to be ignored. “- life forms like yourselves will not receive even the lowliest grain of salt from our reserves.”

“So Militia assistance it will be then,” Obi-wan defused.

“If you’re so insistent, Pink, that we give Gems the ability of,” White paused and shivered “Free will then maybe we should just bring in a platoon and ask them.” 

Steven ground his teeth together. That was unfair, and the hopeful looks from the other below was also grating. Does nobody see how wrong that is. To ask a solider that has only known war if they will go to war again because they want them to?

Every Gem was brainwashed to lick the Diamonds feet if asked. They don’t want to do that but they will out of fear!

“If we ask they will only agree because the ‘Diamonds’ asked!” Steven put air quotes up around Diamonds. “We can’t have any Diamond loyal Gem ask or they will accept it. No one on Homeworld has had enough time to understand that—that they can even _say_ no!” Steven stuttered over his words as he tried to describe the problem to three overlords who’d never seen issue with the problem for over 10,000 years.

Out of the shadows stepped Yellow Pearl, startling a screech out of Steven as he leapt to the other side of his chair.

“If I might my Diamond, the Peridot you encountered earlier did not seem willing to listen to you even as the illustrious being you are.” Steven grimaced at the comment but nodded anyway. 

Yellow leaned over to stare at her Pearl. She must be uncomfortable looking at the Pearl speaking so blandly to others after years of servitude to the large Gem. Blue and White only seemed surprised and irritated by the Peridots lack of decorum. 

“So what if you and the others-“ She swept her hand to the others on the ground, “Were to inspect the troops and ask them just as yourselves if they would aid. They would not feel the pressure of the Diamonds as nobody knows your status.”

Steven nodded. It was a sound plan the only catch being just how Diamond obsessed they all were. If there was no okay from the Diamonds, many would not move. That was a problem he was always fighting. If he tried to use his own position to leverage them, they just mindlessly obeyed him or violently rejected him. 

The only success so far was by going through… the chain of command.

Steven clapped his hands together a big smile on his face. Eyes alight with excitement. He might have just cracked the code. The lowest rank Gems trusted their commanders without fault. Just like the Ruby guards that helped them land. All he had to do was speak with the commander and the rest listened to her and made their own judgements off of that! 

The Diamonds will was immutable, but your general was to be trusted, but interpreted.

He could teach Homeworld from the ground up!

Steven launched up from his seat and floated back down to the chair and grabbed Yellow Pearls hands between his own. “Pearl! Thank you!” He laughed, and she blushed and tugged her hands out of his own.

Steven spun to the Diamonds, his back to the others on the ground and threw out his arms. 

“With your permission I would like to bring the—“ Steven paused for the right word for them, Connie’s newest medieval novel coming to mind. “I would like to bring the delegates of the Republic to speak with the Hessonites and Generals of the platoons so we can foster better connections in the new era!” 

Blue smiled, “That’s very well said Steven. I believe that increased connection with other systems will only grow our own knowledge pool and allow us to experiment in new avenues that we have previously not considered.”

“I disagree, I do not believe they should taint our empire with—“ White waved her hand below her and Steven frowned. His head and attention turning to the final deciding vote. Yellow.

Yellow had her hands in front of her face, a deep look in her eyes. 

“We assist you with our highly trained teams and you do what for us in return?” Yellow asked to the group below and Steven turned around on his chair. He should’ve thought of that himself.

“We create a charted Hyperspace route so that delegates containing possibly valuable items and knowledgeable folks may reach you. You would be invited to propose a member of your system to stand in the senate and receive important information of the ongoings of the Republic and its friendly systems. You would have a vote in how the Republic is run and how others systems interact.” Obi-wan stepped forward, pulling a disc from his pocket that lit up into a hologram of the entire galaxy. 

“I see, that could be beneficial.” Yellow nodded, but not yet unhooking her hands. A bad sign of her not committing yet.

Obi-wan swiped at the hologram and it shifted to a large room filled with other races of all sorts. “With a sitting member of the senate that also affords you other amenities such as protection if you ask, species registration and species specific laws, and guaranteed support should something go wrong with your system's supply chain.” Obi-wan shifted the image again into something that looked a lot like food and water. “Mainly supplies to sustain Republic civilisations on the verge of collapse.” Obi-wan went in for the kill and it worked as Steven watched Yellow drop her hands to her thighs and smirk.

“Alright, Jedi. You’ve got a deal. The Gem Empire will assist the Republic for the terms you outlined. I will request that an official from your senate come and speak with me on the details of the give and take, but otherwise I see no issue with this arrangement.”

“Of course, We will send a member of the senate to officiate the terms of agreement at the earliest convenience,” Obi-wan and company bowed low to the four of them and Steven very nearly winced at the angle. How they got that low without falling was as mysterious as everything else about them. 

White humphed from her chair, but said nothing. Steven smiled wide at Yellow and Blue who were humouring him. 

The Gem empire was very self sustaining already except for Pink Diamonds lost essence. In fact, it was less self sustaining and more ravenous and gluttonous in nature. Other planets and species falling like dominos to the heel of their boots. They didn’t need to speak with the Republic at all.

Instead, though they seemed to let Steven helm this new program, like so many others he’d proposed. They’d genially agreed to many ideas for no other reason than as long as it didn’t affect them and their workload they couldn’t care less.

With Yellow taking control of the outlining terms and benefits to the Empire that left the actual socialising and niceties to Steven. Not that he minded at all. Better him than someone like Yellow or Blue.

Steven shuddered at the thought of either of them welcoming somebody, other than him, with open arms and smiles. 

“This concludes this court, Pearl…” White waved her hand and her skittish Pearl scuttled from her side and announced the final pieces to officiate the ending which Steven listened to without an open ear. Plans were racing in his head. This could work and he just had to approach it properly.

He sat in his chair as he waited for the other three to leave the room, as was the polite procedure. The others on the ground all left to stand in the middle of the room waiting as well as the Diamonds meandered their way out of the grand room.

As Blue went to leave through a side door that would take her to her own palace sooner she stopped in between the door.

“Steven?” He looked up at her call and owlishly blinked in response, “Please do make sure to come see me soon, I’ve been so lonely with you gone.”

“It’s only been like two—“ Blue’s eyes welled up along with Stevens and he sighed, “Of course Blue, I’ll come see you when I’m done.”

She nodded her head and left him and the three others alone in the courtroom.

He slumped into his chair, groaning into his palms. 

“Fun planet you’ve got here,” Anakin said mirthlessly.

Somebody let out a chastised noise, and they followed it up with a grunt of pain. Steven laughed into his hands and dropped them to the seat of the chair and pushed himself up and into the air. He floated and touched down on the red length of marble that the three stood on. 

“Yeah, it’s new to me too. Mom lead her rebellion from another planet and that’s where I was raised. Not with all this,” Steven waved his hand around, “Could you imagine how stuffy I would sound?” He laughed and puffed up his chest and set his arms like a bodyguard. 

“You’d sound like you came straight off Coruscant,” Anakin chuckled in a good nature as both Ahsoka and Obi-wan took offence. Must be their planet. “So Mr. Diamond what now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll Im pushing hard to make sure this keeps coming out. It's all written already but it just needs to be cleaned up and each chapter takes me a few hours so with x-mas looming with a spiked bat and me working in retail I'll ask that you pray for me.
> 
> Also any theories or not fully explained concept you might want to ask about feel free too. I do know the answer, but they dont always make a full reveal cause it just aint the place or time in the story.


	4. Pavo – The Peacock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day floating in space had given him time to develop the embarrassment that he should have thought about before he’d gone through with the stupid plan he and Amethyst had concocted.
> 
> “We thought, geez… We thought it might be funny if I got into the cannons and she fired them straight up.” Steven mumbled the last bit into his chest. Anakin snorted hard and quickly covered his smile with his hand when Obi-wan sent an exhausted glare at him.
> 
> "Why does this sound familiar Anakin?" Obi-wan asked putting his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "We'll get you home on one condition. We speak to the planetary leaders."

Steven clicked his tongue, he appreciated Anakin’s flippancy with his status. How he managed to not care was none of his business, but it made him curious. Steven would still be stiff and formal if he met a prince from another planet. 

“Steven, please, and first I need to talk to Garnet and then we will go collect the Hessonites and other assorted generals,” Steven started walking to the grand front doors as he talked, “I just want to avoid pushing Gems into something they don’t want to do. Most Gems on the planet haven’t yet figured out they can do other things than what they were made to do. That there’s so many fun and wonderful things out there and not just war and well… slavery.” He paused in distaste at the word. It’s the most accurate description he can give to strangers about the affairs of Homeworld.

Steven turned right before he reached the door and faced the three of them. Anakin looking like they had tagged him in a game he didn't know he was playing and Ahsoka was gnawing her lip. Obi-wan was just watching Anakin like he expected the man to collapse at the mention that Homeworld was full of slavery and war. It wasn’t even Anakin’s problem. It shouldn’t affect them at all. Unless the Gems decided not to help at all. Then it was what it was.

He squared his shoulders and looked all three of them in the eyes. “I can’t help you if it comes down to forcing them, I refuse to do that,” Said as plainly as he could. 

“That’s honourable of you,” Obi-wan said and Steven dropped his bravado and nodded. “It seems like you’re really sticking your neck out for these people. That’s a quality we always like to see.”

“It’s what they deserve.” Steven walked through the door and the Clear Quartz guards saluted him and shifted out of the way. “I’ve met some Homeworld Gems before I’d ever came here, they came to kill me ‘cause they thought I was my mom—“

“I thought they revered your mom?” Ahsoka interjected and Steven laughed but it turned into a defeated sigh.

“Yeah, she is, but she pretended to be a Rose Quartz after she invaded ear—“ Steven coughed cutting off earths name. He didn’t want his planet to become involved in all this. “When she invaded my planet, but she saw its beauty and it’s worth. So she faked her own death and fought her own armies to protect the planet, free will, and Gem kind from her sisters tyranny.”

“So your mom was a war criminal of her own design, how in the world does that make someone think you’re her.” Ahsoka paused for a moment, “And then try to kill you?”

Steven rounded a corner on the hunt for the rest of the Crystal Gems. They’d set up camp in Pink’s palace as it was his palace now which, by default, made it the safest place on Homeworld.

“Well, the Gems aren’t so good with the idea of me. It usually takes a bit for them to understand that I’m not Rose Quartz or Pink Diamond and that I’m half human.”

“Wasn’t your mom a giant like the other Diamonds?” She said in a flat tone and Steven rubbed the back of his hair and nodded even as he walked the halls. 

“Yeah, but she could shape shift. Heck, even I can sometimes shape shift. The Gems are actually just hard light projections or something. The only part of them that can’t change is their actual Gem.” He paused to look down the similar-looking hallways for the right path. “It makes their perception of who is who a little warped.”

Steven lead them to a door with a painted star on it and he grinned at the shoddy scribble of it on the door. Amethysts handy work.

He tapped on the button to his right and the door slid open as the palm-shaped button lit up. 

The Gems inside all screaming bloody murder at each other, Pearl screeching at Peridot and Amethyst who were floating around the room in a transformed Amethyst. Garnet was mock shouting for them to stop; no real heat behind her words at all. Lapis was smirking in a corner as she lounged on an oversized pink pillow she’d stolen from another room. 

It was a scene of chaos and Steven smiled as he strolled through the door, the three walking in behind him. 

“Steven! Tell them they can’t do that inside!” Pearl gestured at Amethyst who stuck her tongue out and zoomed around the room again. Peridot screeching in a mix of fear and joy as she clung onto the bottom of Amethyst, her legs dangling below her. The wind that buffeted the room had Lapis laughing as they ruffled her hair and Steven cracking up at Pearls offended look as they crinkled her jacket.

“Now is not the time to use that,” Steven choked out between giggles as Peridot screamed her victory of the skies. “Seriously though guys, I need to talk to Garnet,” he said as he faced towards Garnet.

“Oh yes, how did that whole affair go? I see the humans are still alive so not that badly,” Pearl glared at the screeching pair behind her once before facing the small group.

“Better than it was headed I think?” Steven said and Ahsoka snorted and nodded.

“They seem to hold a pretty large disdain for other races and cultures,” Obi-wan noted and Pearl laughed. 

“They do,” Garnet stepped into the group chat and Steven smiled when she put her hand on his hair. “The Diamonds are corrupt self-absorbed monsters with little concerns for others.” 

Anakin’s face scrunched in sympathetic amusement “I see you have strong feelings on the matter,” 

Garnet turned to him, “I do.”

Steven laughed the conversation off and tugged on Garnet’s hand off his hair. She looked down and nodded. She walked off to the side of the room and tapped the wall so that another door slid open. Amethyst shouting about her not noticing that there was a door there. Garnet though just slipped through the entrance and she left Steven to scramble after her. The other three power walking through the door as Steven stood in-between the rooms to keep it from closing.

Amethyst shape shifted into a long-fingered zombie looking thing as Ahsoka walked by and jumped at the girl. Ahsoka flinched but only let out a hiss of anger at Amethyst who laughed and walked away reforming into her normal form. 

Anakin laid a hand on Ahsoka as she bumped past him, something murmured quieter than Steven could hear.

“Now what did you want to talk about Steven?” Garnet asked her voice stilted and Steven got the distinct impression she already knew but was just trying to be polite. 

“I want to help them out with their war, Homeworld has so many people who can help.” Garnet nodded, and he took a deep breath, “I need to talk to the Hessonites as a Diamond to get them to allow them,” He gestured at the group huddled close to the door of the empty room. “to speak with the platoons and ask if any Gems would willingly follow them into another war zone.”

“I thought we talked about not forcing Gems into violence Steven…” Garnet said with disappointment and he wilted a little under the pressure. 

“But Garnet, I figured if I ask the Hessonites if the Jedi… did I get that right?” Steven threw a look over his shoulder and they nodded to the name, “If I ask if the Jedi can speak with the troops then that allows them to ask. The Gems would never follow them as humans unless they actually wanted to, they also wouldn’t follow even if they wanted to without some acknowledgement from the Diamonds.”

Garnet put a hand on her hip. Steven bit his lip.

“This is the best way for them to make their own decisions without being stressed about either obeying or defying the Diamonds. A Diamond, me in this case, spoke to their Hessonite about letting these organics speak to them about something. If they think I’m just letting them talk to them without knowing their plans for recruitment then it’s up to the Gems to decide if they follow what they say to them right? Does that make sense? I really hope it does…” Steven shuffled his foot on the ground.

There was silence from Garnet before she smiled and nodded, “Steven, I trust you.” 

He beamed ear to ear and nodded. 

“Do you think Pearl would be okay with helping me figure out the Diamond chime again?” 

“Im sure she’d be happy to explain it.” 

He launched a hug at Garnet before getting too antsy and detaching, running through the door. He flung himself at Pearl who was nearly tearing her hair out from the antics in the room; the movement startling her and throwing off her balance before she caught herself. He was fast to beg her into helping him. She sighed in a good natured way, chastising him for not paying close enough attention last time.

The Jedi were just lingering on the edges of the room as Pearl brought him over to a console in the room. The actual controls popping out of the wall at a height as tall as him. Still everything was calibrated to his moms height which was a bit of a pain as he had to float himself up to a height that could see the controls.

Out of the corner of his eye while Pearl directed him through the controls of ringing the generals of all major platoons to organise in the Pink court he saw Lapis slide over to the three Jedi and start up a small conversation. 

He could see her laugh a few times and the gentle barbs thrown between the tight-knit group. It was nice to see, he supposed, until Pearl snapped her fingers and he was dragged back into the Gem Glyph and complicated controls. 

A solid five minutes passed before he slapped his hand down on the controls and a distinct chime sounded throughout Homeworld, even playing in his own room. Detailed and longer than the average summons for a specific Gem because of its vagueness.

“That should do it, did you want to be there before anyone comes or are you going in after everyone has gathered?” Pearl asked him as he floated back down to the floor.

“Can I even make it there before anyone else?”

“Probably not,” Pearl admitted and Steven sighed. “I’ll take that as you’ll arrive, how do you say that, well styled and late?”

“Fashionably late, and yeah I suppose I will.” He laughed and went over to talk to Peridot who was cackling over something. Garnet had come back into the room at some point and Lapis and the three were entrenched in some conversation that Steven loathed to interrupt so instead for the next half an hour he let Peridot explain her newest plan in great detail. They were almost disturbing if he didn’t know with a gut certainty that they wouldn’t get nearly as far as she hoped.

The half hour was quick and Steven backed out of his conversation with Peridot, having Garnet step in for him. She just stood and nodded occasionally while staring straight ahead- Peridot didn’t mind. He walked to the door and the Jedi group were quick to part. Only Anakin stuck around for a second longer to speak to Lapis as she waved him onward. 

They were on the move and out the door in the next second. He was leading the rag-tag group down to a part of the palace he knew better as he’d spent most of his time on Homeworld in it.

“So what’s the plan?” Ahsoka asked and Steven turned around to walk backwards while facing them.

“Okay so you’re gonna need to stay close to me, they’re gonna be like a lot of Gems in there. Like a lot a lot so I’m gonna have to go to my uh throne and if you guys can stand beside me, then it’ll make it easier.” Steven put his hand to his chin as he thought. This was going to be weird cause he will need to sort of lie to everyone, but it was for the greater good of the Gems. “I will tell them you’re guests or something that wanted to make some request of the troops and to allow you to just do that with no hassle. They can’t know that I know what you guys want alright? ‘Cause then it’s 'got a Diamonds influence’ on it and I can’t let any Gem that thinks I want them to go to go.”

“So we’ll just be the intimidating guards by your side essentially?” Anakin asked sounding amused at the notion and Steven couldn’t help but duck his head and blush a little.

“Yeah, sorry, but I need to trick them all into letting you guys speak with the Quartz’s and Carnelians and Jaspers. There will also be other generals of other squadrons like Rubies and Nephrites.”

At their confused faces Steven amended an idea on the fly.

“I’ll also ask the generals to give you a basic rundown of their platoon. Each cast of Gem was made and trained for something so that might help you when you talk with them.”

Obi-wan nodded his head, “That would be appreciated. You will not be there to speak with the troops with us?”

“I can’t risk them figuring out who I am.”

“Alright, we’ve got this then.” Ahsoka said as they neared the massive diamond sized doors again. 

Steven righted himself so he could lead them through the throngs of Gems no doubt lingering inside. 

“Show time,” Anakin muttered and Steven chuckled as he fixed his posture and schooled his face the best he could. The three fell in close enough that he could feel the brush of their clothes and the heat coming off them. It felt like he had hired a squad of overzealous Rubies.

They moved as he did and it was almost a little freaky, but as the door to the court opened and thousands of Hessonites of different shades and cuts silenced and turned to look at him. His skin crawled at the attention, but it was necessary and he tried to draw strength from the other three who looked as unflustered as a falcon in the sky.

He took one step into the room and a coordinated salute rang through the massive room. Clothes and feet shifted followed by every voice in the room calling out a customary ‘My Diamond’. It was unnerving in its precision. 

Steven did his best to smile blandly and continue to walk, the crowd parting like he was oil to their water and not a single soul even seemed to blink at the three around him. Honestly it was surprising, but he chalked it up to none of the Gems wanting to be the first to react in a room of a thousand of their own cut. If it was the wrong move, it would’ve been their last move at any other court as an example to the gathering. 

He made it to the still oversized throne only this time there was a matching pink beanbag chair on top of it for him to sit in. His palace his rules. He took a small leap to the chair; it wasn’t as removed as the grand courtroom with its massive stairs leading to the thrones. His was just at the end of the room on the floor. He settled into his bean bag, sitting a little straighter than usual in this chair. This was important after all. Anakin and Obi-wan each taking a tight stance to him. So close to where his legs dangled that he could kick them in the head if he wanted to. He of course did not and made extra attention not to swing his legs. Ahsoka took the position to Anakin’s right and stood just as confident as the other two.

There was silence in the room as everyone waited for him to start. Normally a Pearl was there to announce the start or end of a court, but he’d refused a Pearl for obvious reasons and ended up having Blue or Yellow force their own Pearls onto him when he was on the planet. Pearl took it upon herself to talk their ears off while they were in his unwilling service.

“Thank you all for coming, I have a request to make of you and the Gems under your commands.” Steven started to talk to the silent room, his voice echoing in the empty ceiling that stretched farther than the heavens. It was tall enough that he was always expecting to see clouds when he walked in here. 

He curled his hands into his lap at the answering quiet, they wouldn’t speak, but it was weird anyway.

“We have made contact with the Republic, another nation of systems outside of our own, in the light of Era three we have decided to reach out and enter, uh, negotiations with them. We have all talked, and it’s decided that you, I mean, I require the available in this room to allow these three below me to make an… unspecified request of your Gems. They will meet privately to discuss this individually with your platoons.” Steven took a shaky breath and looked over the Gems in the room.

They weren’t unruffled by the demand, but they weren’t fighting it either.

“So in conclusion, you will allow these three to speak with your platoon with your permission. Your Gems will _only_ know that we, the Diamonds, allow them to speak with these three and interact with their questions. They will not be told by you or anyone that I’ve said this.” Steven needed to make sure the Gems in attendance all understood. “They only know that these three’s presences are acknowledged by the Diamonds and that you, yourselves, as the generals of the platoon are allowing them to ask a request of them. Does everyone understand?”

There was a chorus of ‘yes my Diamond’ and Steven was still fidgeting, this had to go off flawlessly or he couldn’t let it happen at all. 

“You!” He pointed into the crowd to his left. “Come here,” And there was a general unrest as they tried to figure out who Steven meant. They shoved a Gem out in front of him and he put up his best tough guy stance. The Hessonite only taking a fearful second to grasp that someone had shoved her under the bus before saluting and composing herself.

“Hessonite, Facet U6P Cut I2B4 at your service your radiance,”

“Could you repeat to me what the instructions were?”

She blinked once and twisted her foot before catching herself and Steven smiled at the hints of her personality jumping through her cover. 

“Of course, You would like for me to prepare my gems for these three organics to speak with them. They will not know this was an order from your radiance, only that I am aware that they are sanctioned from the Diamond authority and asked a request of me that I will fulfil due to my judgement.” She stood there in a salute and Steven clapped his hands together startling her from her mission calm. 

“That’s perfect! Thank you Hessonite,” She bowed and scuttled back into the crowd. Steven slumped a little into his chair, the beans shifting in the quiet that came back. Somehow in his jumble of orders and fake smart words he’d gotten his point across.

“If everyone is confident in their orders, then that will be al—“ Something knocked his foot and he cut off to look down at the three who hadn’t seemed to move at all. He frowned slightly before gasping, “Oh! One more thing, Please give them a description of your platoon that isn’t just a list of your gems. Explain your specialties and strengths please. That will be all.” Steven leaned over and slapped at the armrest of his chair which sounded the release chime and with a swoosh the great door opened to allow the Gems to file out. The sound picked up at the sound of people walking and quietly chatting. 

As the last few filed out Ahsoka turned to stare up at him, “I think that went pretty well, you’re good at this whole overbearing commander gig,”

Steven’s face curled in disgust, “Please don’t tell me that,” he moaned into the air.

“I can see you treat them with dignity at the very least,” Anakin offered and Steven flopped back into his beanbag. His everything sinking into its depths. He was trying so hard to toe the line of letting them be themselves and telling them to do something cause it was needed to help so many others. 

He was always on an emotional trolley problem. The train was loose but a split in the tracks was coming and on one track was a single Gem, on the other was three Gems. Either way, he hurt someone. It was awful.

“Change takes sacrifice, I imagine your mother suffered with similar issues, as do all rebellions and monumental governmental changes.” Obi-wan said with a softer tone and none of the accusing behind his tone and Steven nodded to the ceiling. 

His mom might not be the best person to compare to, but he’d like to believe her heart was in the right place.

“Alright so when do we get started?” Anakin broke the contemplation moment and Steven rolled forward in his chair.

“Right now I suppose,” Steven leapt off his chair and the group all smiled at him. This should be good.

“Lets get cracking then, there were way more generals than I would’ve thought possible.” Ahsoka said with a faint sense of dread. Steven couldn’t agree more, though he only had to walk them to the courtyard where the platoons would be stationed.

“It’ll be fine,” Steven said with confidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow wow wow, this story is getting so much love and attention i'm blown away and cant thank you all enough. 
> 
> When I started this it was already finished writing and I hadn't expected much from it TBH, but you all keep leaving awesome idea inspiring comments and I cant help but want to dive deeper into this. So while this story only has one more chapter it is there to set up Steven's next adventure in the Republic and wrap up this one if your satisfied with the meat of it. Rest assured those fun questions like 'Steven Vs. a Sith' and 'The Gems play with lightsabers' are going to be explored much more.
> 
> SNEAK PEAK SUMMARY OF SPIN-OFF:  
> After harrowing prophecy’s from the Sapphires about the Gems he sent into the Republic Clone war Steven must journey on a one man, one cat cross planetary trip to retrieve the Gems he sent to aid the Jedi and their war. Or face the consequences of when he isn’t fast enough.


	5. Gemini - The Twins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day floating in space had given him time to develop the embarrassment that he should have thought about before he’d gone through with the stupid plan he and Amethyst had concocted.
> 
> “We thought, geez… We thought it might be funny if I got into the cannons and she fired them straight up.” Steven mumbled the last bit into his chest. Anakin snorted hard and quickly covered his smile with his hand when Obi-wan sent an exhausted glare at him.
> 
> "Why does this sound familiar Anakin?" Obi-wan asked putting his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "We'll get you home on one condition. We speak to the planetary leaders."

Luke was the one to point out the system to the Rebellion charters. They disagreed with his assessment, but the force cried out that it was important so with tight barbs and clipped tones thrown everywhere he’d won the ability to scout out the location.

Just him, Artoo, and his X-wing going to the furthest reaches of charted space to check out some weird feeling he had about a location on the map.

He dropped out of hyperspace with a bang and gasped at the glittering planet in front of him. They were looking for a secluded hideaway for their new base not a metropolis planet! There were ships everywhere and Luke was clutching the yoke tighter than he had in a while.

This had been a horrid idea. Now he was floating in a very public space with his Alliance fighter jet and Alliance jumpsuit. A known bounty on his head from Vader that makes even the most honourable code bound hunter hesitate and consider. 

It was the panic that had him joining an array of odd looking ships headed for the planet’s surface. The force chaotic around him as his emotions raged under the surface. It would take him at least five minutes for the hyperspace engines to prime again. He’d be noticed by flight control before then.

In the haze of focusing to line up with the procession he’d managed to go through landing procedures. His X-wing in a diamond shaped landing pad next to all the other ships also lining the massive landing zone. 

He hadn’t moved outside of the cockpit, Artoo was whistling like mad to him and Luke struggled to catch up to what the little droid was saying. He needed to take off again, but if he could stay here for the few minutes it took for the engines to prime he’d have a better chance of being able to make it off planet. 

They hadn’t even hailed him yet so it might be okay.

“This is Pink Zircon from Homeworld flight security, please state your name, cut, duration of stay, and purpose please.” The voice was redirected from the ship to his helmet by Artoo and Luke yelped at the sudden connection. 

Maybe if he just said nothing then—

“Refusal to comply noted, please stay where you are we will be by shortly to retrieve you,” Pink Zircon finished and the light hissing that came with the comms being on disappeared sending Luke straight back into his panic.

He needed to leave now.

He went through the lift off procedures only for Artoo to squeal a dreadful concept. They’d magnetically impounded the X-wing. The struts were near welded with the ground and Luke bit his lip.

He could commandeer another ship and fly back, but he’d have to figure out how to get onto another landing platform. They were far apart. Even too far if he’d tried to force launch himself across. Not to mention he refused to leave Artoo.

A bright light flashed at the circle on the tip of the pad and off of it stepped three people. Two aliens of a race he wasn't familiar with, the third was a very distinct human. 

The two others were bright orange and yellow with massive manes of hair. They were the muscle of the group. The human though, was no exception to the mane of hair, it curled down to the back of his knees and he held it out of his face with a ball cap. A pair of shorts and sand shoes on his feet. The zipped up neon pink jacket and a white undershirt that poked out from underneath was a sight. 

The man looked at him for a second with something closer to exhaustion than actual fear or anger before he squinted at him and suddenly the man was a supernova of excitement.

Luke grit his teeth, he was not being brought into Vader. 

He popped his cockpit and stood up, hand on his lightsaber that dangled on his hip and the man's excitement focused in on that little detail and it dropped to something much more cautious which seemed to set off the orange dudes beside him. 

“Steven? What is it?” One of them asked, the other sized him up. Luke returned the favour. He could take them, they were big, but he’d handled bigger.

The man, Steven, waved off the big guy and instead walked towards him. Luke tensing up more.

“What’re you doing here, I made it very clear to the Empire that Gem kind would have nothing to do with their entire thing?” Steven asked and Luke opened his mouth to answer only to hesitate when his brain caught up to the words.

“Wait what? You’re not part of the—“ Luke trailed off, the info had said that the planet had been part of the Republic, sending deadly aid to them during the Clone wars that had tipped the balance completely until one day the aid disappeared. 

The Rebellion had assumed that it was due to the coming of the Empire. That the powerful system had been wiped out in preparation by decree of Emperor Palpatine. That the Empire had then expunged the records like it had with just about everything else.

“Who’s your alliance with?” Luke asked squinting down at the man from the cockpit.

He crossed his arms and had a bored look on his face. The two orange folks still hanging around behind him.

“Why do you want to know?”

“I asked first,” Luke thumbed at his lightsaber and the other's eyes went to the weapon. 

“I’m not about to be threatened on my own planet,” Steven flicked his hand and a holo popped up in front of his hand. Pink as his jacket and everything else around them and in a sharp diamond shape.

He poked the holo three times before a chime rang out around them startling Luke to nearly slipping down the nose of his ship. Artoo squealed something about reinforcements and Luke took the chance to glance back at the little droid in his ship. The poor droid was rocking back and forth in his slot.

When he looked back the Pink shaded holo was gone and Steven was standing there with his eyebrow raised.

The silent standoff was long and painful to Luke’s muscles as he watched the three for any sign of movement. He was not about to give up information to someone who could take him straight to Vader. 

If the records were correct, and this system was still half as powerful as it had been during the clone wars than Luke was sitting in the dragons den with no promise of help other than Artoo and the ship below him.

The sound of crystals in a blaster shocked him out of his glaring match with Steven, a squad of six purple ladies all marched off the round platform. 

Was that organic teleportation? That’s insane.

They were quick to surround him and Luke could feel his sweat beading. He couldn't keep his eyes on all of them. 

The same noise careened around the area and both Steven and Luke turned to watch as a tall pale lady with inhuman features walked off. Followed by a human-looking girl with a long brown braid trailing over her shoulder and a literal sword on her back. 

It was in a scabbard but the handle poked above her shoulder blade and the unique design had Luke considering what else it could do. Nothing was ever as it seemed.

“Steven! What’re you doing? Who’s this?” The tall girl called out as she walked over to the man. Neither the human nor the one who’d called out seemed all that bothered by their tense atmosphere.

“Pearl? Connie? What are you guys even doing planet side?” Steven just turned his back to him and Luke was shocked by the lack of care. 

Were they still that powerful?

The two orange ones growled when Luke went to shift his footing and he changed his mind. 

Steven just had backup he was confident in.

“We were just doing some lessons for a few Bixbites that asked us when we heard your chime, is everything okay?” Pearl stepped forward and started speaking to Steven who groaned.

“I didn’t isolate the chime did I? Everyone heard it?” Steven asked and the one girl, Connie nodded, her hand over her mouth as she stifled a bit of laughter. Steven moaned even louder in despair and covered his eyes. “I thought I’d pulled it off,” He trailed off before he turned back around to look at Luke.

“Another person from the Empire is here,” Steven said with a defeated tone, his hand levelled at Luke. “He won’t answer anything either,”

“That’s not true!” Luke called out and Steven sent him a flat look.

“Why’re you here then?” Steven asked and Luke shut his mouth with an audible clack of his teeth. What could he say when he wasn’t certain where this systems loyalties laid? 

He could say he was here on behalf of the Empire as some imperial surveyor; or he could pretend he was just here cause he was sightseeing.

He would like to say that his hyperspace jump was miscalculated, but that could lead to unintended consequences. Like them offering to help and digging in too deep and finding out things he’d rather stay buried- Or ignored in his bounty’s case.

There was also the problem of them recognising his lightsaber. That was a big issue. That alone could get him thrown in a cell and tried for treason. They all knew it was a weapon and werent happy about it.

Gosh, he wished he had Han’s silver tongue or Leia’s strength of character. She could overpower anyone with just her words alone forcing them to bow to her plans.

Luke on the other hand was as honest as the freshly driven snow. To the point that he’d shot himself in the foot more than once now.

“I—“ Luke opened his mouth but not his head and somehow it all came spilling out… “I’m from the Rebel alliance, I came to see if this system was somewhere we could base ourselves out of.”

Steven blinked in surprise, while Pearl nodded. “That was surprisingly honest of you… I don’t know what the Rebel alliance is, but uh you’re not here to hurt anyone are you?” He asked.

“No,” Luke shook his hands, “No not at all, I came here alone cause the force was telling me to look around.”

Steven stood still and rigid for a second more before deflating and sticking his hands into his pockets and leaning back on his heels. A smile came to his face and it was like looking at a whole new person. 

“Wow that’s a term I haven’t heard in a while, the force, wow-wee,” Steven chuckled and signed something with a hand he pulled out for a moment only for it to disappear back into his pocket. Just like that all the surrounding hostility from the purple and orange folks melted into the air. 

The purple ones all became a mess and walked back to the circle-thingy, punching each other and laughing.

“Thanks guys!” Steven called over his shoulder and one of the beefiest called back an ‘all good’ with an attached thumbs up.

It went from a military operation worthy of Vader’s personal troops into meal time at the mess hall on Home one with a single hand wave.

“My name’s Steven, welcome to Homeworld I suppose.” He smiled up at Luke and wow was that smile was like a million watts.

Luke looked around the empty pink area. Only Steven, Connie and the other one… Peal or perlt something. 

Somehow he seemed to be on a good foot so he’d try to keep it that way. Luke leaped out of his cockpit and landed with a thump and jangle of his uniform. He straightened and pushed his uniform into a more prim and proper look- Or close as you could get with a bright orange flight suit.

He walked up to Steven and took his helmet off and shook out his matted hair and tucked the helmet under his left arm so he could stick out his right hand. 

“Luke Skywalker, nice to meet you I suppose. Sorry about the—“ He waved his hand in the air lightly.

Steven chuckled, his eyes crinkling, and he grabbed Luke's hand in a firm shake.

“Water under the bridge,” Steven dropped the shake and turned to gesture at the two who’d been silent beside him. “This is Pearl and Connie, they’re close friends of mine.”

Luke dipped his head at both of them. Pearl did the same and Connie gave him a small wave.

Steven clapped his hands together then, “So what’s the Rebel Alliance? You seem like you’re from the Empire which gotta say is uh not great.”

“Steven,” Connie turned and chastised him

Steven threw his hands up, “What! It’s not like he is and it’s true they suck!” He whined back and Luke let a startled snort out. 

Luke couldn’t think of a time when he’d spoke so blandly of the Empire on a planet. He’d bashed them the same as everyone else over comms and on ship during his time with the Rebellion, but never so plainly on the surface. 

Even if a planet was vehemently opposed, they’d never be so bold as to just say ‘they suck’. Not unless they had a death wish. Every planet that wasn’t barren was under Imperial rule by force. A trooper presence in every major city. The Empires whistleblowers. 

“You’re clearly not on the Empires side…” Luke noted and Pearl rose an eyebrow.

“We fought for nearly seven thousand years for our independence from our own Empire. We were not about to allow some upstart across the galaxy do the same.” Pearl scoffed and Lukes face rose an inch.

“You were at war for seven thousand years?” He couldn’t even fathom, the rebellion has been gaining traction, but it hasn’t even been five years. The Empire hadn’t perceived them enough of a threat to declare war till lately. Before they’d just been a nuisance.

“Almost,” Pearl put a finger up to point it out.

The ‘almost’ wasn’t the part that mattered. How insanely old was this system? Why wasn’t it more well documented? The only notes he could find on the matter had been expunged. They had left him with the impression that the Empire had wiped them off the face of the planet.

“Wasn’t this system part of the Republic? Didn’t you help during the Clone wars?” Luke asked confused by it all.

“Oh, we were until multiple Sapphires approached me to tell me about their predictions. We had to pull our Gems out just in case,” Steven paused and shook his head. “Good thing we did cause Padparadscha later confirmed it all for us that the Republic we’d just allied with turned into a megalomaniac dictatorship. Not that I’d really needed it confirmed. I had to deal with enough while I was there to see the outcome.”

“The Empire didn’t—you guys just left? You weren’t, I don’t know, hunted or killed or—“ Luke sputtered.

“Oh they tried once they formed the Empire,” Connie grumbled as she clenched her fists. “We made it _very_ clear we would not bow,” A sharp smile that reminded him of Leia when she was remembering a crafty victory.

“They never learned enough about us even when they worked with us on the battlefield to know where we came from and where we went.” Pearl said.

Luke couldn’t hide his confusion at that, but didn’t even know how to ask what he wanted to know. 

Steven took pity on him, “This is the Gem Empire,” He gestured around him in a wide spin, a pained smile on his lips. “We’ve conquered 3,486 planets eliminating all life on the surface and turning the planets into a colony for our own species.”

Luke jerked back, reaching for the force to find the horror of the truth. He was standing on a mass murdering planet. The Republic had used them to try to win a war. Disgust raced up his throat.

Connie muttered a soft ‘yeah’ as she looked Luke in the eye. She too was recoiling from the brain destroying number.

“That is until Pink Diamond, one of our leaders, found the beauty in life, she decided it was worth fighting for, worth protecting.” Pearl pushed in. “She hid under the life of Rose Quartz and raised an army called the Crystal Gems and we fought Homeworld for thousands of years. Many Gems died. Many thrived.” Pearl cast her gaze to the side, her voice catching and Luke sympathised thinking of the friends lost.

“It’s been twenty-three years since we finally won and brought peace to Homeworld. It was only two years after our own settling that the Empire came knocking.” Steven scrunched his nose up and shook his head. 

“You keep saying we,” Luke said as his teeth slid together uncomfortably. “It’s not like you were part of the war. You're practically my age.”

“Oh well, Steven’s being self deprecating and lumping himself in with the rest of the horrible things, but Pearl was actually there.” Connie turned a badly hidden admiration gaze to Pearl.

Pearl blushed and waved her hand.

“Yeah,” Steven laughed his hand hitting the back of his head, “Pearl fought beside mom, I mean, Rose. You’re the first Crystal Gem aren’t you if you ignore mom?” He turned to Pearl, and she shook her head.

“I wouldn’t say that, either Rose or Garnet gets that honour. I only followed your mother, and the Crystal Gems weren’t really fully realised until Garnet.” Pearl tried to deflect.

Connie frowned and shook her head, “That doesn’t make sense, you were the first to rebel therefor the Crystal Gems started with you.”

“Im sorry how’s that even possible?” Luke asked 

“Gems don’t age because they’re not organic,” Steven answered off handed while he and Connie started to bicker with Pearl who was trying to shirk the mantle of ancient rebel.

Luke was in awe. He’d felt the same thing when he’d run into his first true rebel, Leia. Then when he met the Generals, he’d gotten it back. He’d even gotten a little of the feeling when he’d stumbled onto a classified chip that held a holo of the agent Fulcrum. It was only later that he’d turned that vague admiration for the spy into unadulterated awe when he found out Fulcrum was his father’s student.

In front of him was a practically immortal rebel leader who helped win her people's freedom over thousands of years. She didn’t look like it, but no rebel worth their salt looked like they were anything.

“Please help us!” Luke blurted it out before he could catch his stupid tongue again.

Their bickering stopped, and the three turned to face him in confusion.

In for a pinch in for a pound he supposed. “Please, the Empire is hunting us like dogs, we don’t have the time to build up enough support to recover those that we lose.”

There was a silence and Luke kicked himself. They’d just escaped from war why would they want to join back in.

Steven’s face went from even to smirking to laughing a bright sound that Luke could almost feel in the force. He’d have thought it was mocking in any other situation, but Steven dropped his head back down and put his hands on his hips. “I hesitated the last time, this time though I can say with confidence any member of the Crystal Gems will help you.” He looked over to Pearl for confirmation and she cracked a smile and summoned a spear from the odd spot in her forehead. The Pommel cracking down to the ground.

“You’ve got my spear,”

Luke couldn’t help the wild smile that started to crawl across his face.

Connie slid her sword out of her sheath and bared it to her open side and nodded to the two beside her. “I might not be as trained as the Gems, but I’m a Crystal Gem too and I’ll help however I can.

Steven puffed out a breath, “If we’re all pulling out our weapons like we’re the knights at the round table then,” With a shimmer a pink shield appeared on his arm, “You’ve got my shield,” He said in a fake accent and Luke was blown away. 

Not one to ignore the crowd Luke pulled his lightsaber off his belt and lit it. The forest green blade extending into the air with a hum. The crystal inside of it crying out in joy and Luke couldn’t agree more. He’d found strong allies. 

People who hated the Empire on principle, a whole other system who fought back the tide of Imperial control by themselves.

“Those are so cool,” Steven said as he stared into the blade and Luke grinned, his wild split grin refusing to go away. “Obi-wan showed us his cause people were concerned it’d be dangerous,” Steven mused as he dissipated his shield into thin air which was just as cool if Luke had anything to say. The pink sparkles that melted into the air left an impression. Connie’s sword also slid back into its sheath. 

“I crafted it—wait what? You knew old Ben?” Luke slammed on the mental breaks.

“Who?”

“Obi-wan Kenobi,” Luke was almost begging for Steven to hurry and answer.

“You call him Ben? That’s weird, that’s not even close to his name.” Steven cocked his head and Luke was shaking his own.

“How do _you_ know him!” Luke was just being beaten from every emotion, first fear, then horror right into wild hope and now into whatever this emotion was. 

“He and the others rescued me in space once, they were the ones to ask for us to join the Republic.” Steven seemed fond of the memories, almost. “It was an exciting weekend,” He laughed it off like Luke wasn’t desperately searching for more information on the Jedi and here, the Rebellions second hope, was also familiar with his old master.

“They were very polite, got on like a house on fire with Lapis,” Pearl reminisced and Luke nodded. Sounded like Ben.

Luke couldn’t contain his curiosity “Who were the others if you don’t mind me asking?”

Steven hummed and tapped his lip, “There was Obi-wan and Anakin—“ Luke felt a lance in the force and knew immediately who that was. This was just ridiculous. “—and Ahsoka, she was the first non-human or Gem I’d ever met. She was pretty defensive for a while.” Steven laughed again and Luke nearly took a knee.

He knew his father, his old master, and Fulcrum. They’d been the ones to bring this powerhouse of a system into the Republic. 

“I think we have a lot to talk about, could we maybe go inside?” Luke asked a little faint and with that they started to move inside and Luke couldn’t believe his luck.

Maybe the tides would turn. He’d known them for all of twenty minutes, but trusted them. Maybe it was the force. Maybe it was stupid of him. All he knew was this was the best thing the force had led him to in a very long time. 

Luke was considered the hope of the rebellion when he’d been drafted, and it would be silly to say anything else, but this system right here, these people were his raft in a storm. 

He only hoped they could make this work.

“If you’re fretting back there don’t worry, the Crystal Gems always find a way. We’ll fight alongside you for the freedoms you all deserve.” Steven paused while he walked, turning his head to look over his shoulder and stare at Luke - a smile still on his face. “It’s kinda our thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So theres the wrap up to this one. I wanted an ambiguous ending, since the sequel is going to actually be a prequel as thats what everyone loves ;) Stay tuned guys. I want to get a backlog running before i start posting so it might be a month or two to get enough but we'll see. 
> 
> Also fun fact my imagination of older Steven is very close to wild child Leon from Pokemon Sword and Shield. Long hair, ray of sunshine, questionable fashion choices that somehow work? It's a match.


End file.
